Emergency chicken move need advice!

[BigBlueHen53]

Hi, I just want to welcome you to the BYC community and tell you how funny I think it is that all your chickens are named Larry! You may have lost your home and your dog - and I'm SO sorry for that, I can't even imagine! - but you have not lost your sense of humor, so all is not lost! Others will have good suggestions in response to your questions about moving your girls so I won't address that. I will say two things: one, when you move them (if you do) expect them to stop laying for a bit afterward, it stresses them a bit. And two, build for a LOT more than just three chickens, the bloody things are more addictive than potato chips! We calls it "chicken math" around here! You'll see, just you wait! So you can't say you were't warned!

 

[SimplyLivinthatFarmLife]

So sorry for your loss. Wishing you the best with your chickens.

 

[aart]

If you could get a shed say 4x6, or larger, something that could be moved back when house is rebuilt....and move your current run, that might suffice and be fairly simple.
Tho visiting the current setup twice daily, as @rosemarythyme suggests, might be simpler...in a way.

Nothing truly easy here, cannot imagine the devastation of such a situation.
My deepest condolences.

Oh, and...Welcome to BYC @Raising Larry
I hope you can find some help and comfort here.

Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!

 

[Raising Larry]

Thank you all so much. I'd been reading this site for a while before joining and knew there were a lot of folks on this site who know a WHOLE lot more than I do. From posts, I see two options, both sound reasonable. It may be that we reinforce the coop and run even more (we were relying on our proximity and the dog to help before the fire). At the moment, I'm still freaked out by the fire, and thinking of building a shed around the original coop. (That's probably crazy).
I would be less frantic, but after the loss of the dog, I think the chickens are what are keeping my husband alive.

 

[Raising Larry]

'Predator proof' is a pretty high bar, and many of learn this the hard way, because of losses. Everyone loves chicken, and every possible 'bad guy' will show up sometime, including bears if you are in bear country.
Pictures of your coop and run as they are now may help the rest of us evaluate it's safety.
Often a garden shed can be modified to make a nice coop, and would be large enough for your pullets to be in all the time, which might be a good option during this time.
Mary

I posted a picture of the current in this thread - the coop was OK while we were 8 feet away and had a dog. (The run is NOT secure, but we would generally be home when they were out in it.) With us 2 miles away, ...

 

[aart]

I'm still freaked out by the fire,

No doubt.
Hang in there.

 

[TwoShepherds]

I'm so sorry to hear about the fire and your dog. That is devestating.

As has already been said, building or modifying a shed is a really good option, especially if you think you may want a larger flock someday.

You must be extremely stressed and busy if you are rebuilding a house right now. I would totally understand not wanting to deal with building a coop too. You might want to look at your local shed companies--I found one in my area that sold 6 x 5 coops.

I don't know what your budget is for a coop, especially a temporary one, but if you really only plan on keeping 3-4 chickens you might want to look at the link below. You'd have to put hardware cloth over the windows. Also, if you go by the recommended 4 sq feet per chicken rule, they do NOT hold as many chickens as they claim. I don't own this coop so this post isn't exactly a recommendation, just something to consider. I was very close to buying one over the summer because they look sturdy and easy to put together, but ultimately I decided I needed something larger. This is a link to their largest coop. It's around 6 ft x 5 ft.

https://overezchickencoop.com/collections/all/products/large-overez-chicken-coop

Some of the larger coops from this site might be worth looking into.
https://smokymtnchickentractors.com/

 

[MROO]

If you start here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/chicken-coops.12/
you can find LOTS of ideas on converting a shed, including sheds with smaller, commercial coops set-up inside them. In some of them, the shed, complete with hardware cloth doors up front, becomes the run. This could work, either as a unit you can set up where you are or as a permanent structure at your home, while you rebuild. Wherever you set up a shed, you can do the conversion for almost nothing ... by using pallet wood and leftover cuts from your home rebuild. Slap on a little paint, and you're likely to end up with quite a showplace ... and the project may be just the ticket for hubby to "reclaim" his home space.
And stay strong ... You've got this!

 

[Raising Larry]

UPDATE (and new question): We bought a coop that was pre-built at a decent price since we only have 3-4 days to move them. The coop is called the "Pueblo Grande". (Reading this site, I knew that seller would overestimate # of chickens. This one advertises 5-8 but we have 3.)
(It's the last one on this page: http://www.ruggedranch.net/wood-chicken-coops.html
It's going to need extra work to make it safer from predators and better for winter. This is Northern El-Paso County in Colorado.
Things we are planning to upgrade before moving them. 1. Hardware cloth buried in a trench 8" plus all around. 2. More cladding on the walls. (I can see light through some of the boards).
3. Change the door fasteners to something raccoons have more trouble with. 4. Anchor it better against wind. 5. Bring over their 8'X8'X8' daytime run so they can have exercise (it's protected above from hawks, etc.)
What am I leaving out??

 

[aart]

The coop is called the "Pueblo Grande".

Please post a link to the product?