Excited about our new Dome Coop but questioning shelter size....

[LV Chicks]

We put a lot of work into our little dome coop for the three Serama hens we'll be picking up this weekend. There is still so much to do but I feel confident we'll have it fully wrapped up by Friday.

I hate to post pictures as the construction has turned our neat, clean, garden yard into.... Well... It isn't neat and clean any more.
I would love thoughts and suggestions on any improvements that could be made.

The area is 10 ft across and 5 ft away from the block wall. We put a couple of bags of quick-crete, watered it and put eight 50 pound bags of sand on top.
There are three total layers of chicken wire around the bottom four and a half feet of the dome and two around the top (yes, our friends are now referring to it as 'The Chickendome' - in reference to 'The Thunderdome'). We will be wrapping the majority of the top in shade cloth. The small house is my husband's nod to his hope to some day retire to a shack in the Pacific Islands (our hens are older and are retiring from a breeding program). We will be installing a ramp on the little house and putting in sticks and the like as roosts throughout the coop.

My concern is that they will need more solid shelter than this little house. I realize Seramas are tiny and we do live in Las Vegas where the weather is dry. The coop is also situated in a very protected area of our property.... I worry endlessly about any living being that comes into our care whether they be with us temporarily or long term. I want the best for them... Any thoughts are welcome....


The dome stage one....



The little 'shack'

Looking at the pictures, there is so much more to be done but I hope we're on the right track.

Thank you for suggestions and thoughts!

 

[Tommy12241]

Just remember that chickens need 2 square feet of space per chicken. Since you live in the desert make as much shade as possible and ALWAYS keep lots of clean fresh water for them and they should be fine. It gets pretty hot down here in Florida too and mine do fine. So just keep the proper shade, water, and area for them and they`ll be fine. They`ll like the sand too because theyll take dust baths in it. (tip: On REALLLLYY hot days freeze a few water bottles and put them in their water. It`ll chill the water encouraging them to drink more and it will keep them cooler. I use that method from my chickens all the way up to my cattle and horses).

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

Chickens need more than 2 sq feet per chicken. Seramas do require less space, but they still need more than that. It is recommended that chickens have 4 sq feet of space in the coop and 10 sq feet of space in the run.

 

[flewdacoop]

LOOKS TOO SMALL

 

[HEChicken]

I love it - what a unique idea! And for Las Vegas it sounds like a nice, open-air way to go. With the sand they won't have any access to greenery, which they love, but if you plan to let them out sometimes to free-range, they will be able to avail themselves of greenery that way.

Good job and thanks for posting!

 

[Tommy12241]

Does look a bit small. And everyone has their own opinions on how much space chickens need. But in that environment it looks to small. They would be stressed.

 

[LV Chicks]

Thank you so much! I was thinking that myself. We have the option of opening the garden to them. I'll put in a predator cover over top today. That will give them closer to 20 sq ft.

 

[Tommy12241]

20 ft should be enough for three. Just remember to put lots of shade

 

[Calomel]

It looks big enough for three Serama hens to me. The thing about circular areas is that they are deceptive. There's really more space in there than it looks. Almost 40 square feet in that little half-circle! Which is way more than enough for three bantams.

 

[mrshaggie810]

And I thought my dome idea was gonig to be somewhat unique! lol! Looks great!