Finishing my coop, need some feedback from the BYC community-

[JeremyD]

Hi all,

I am brand new to BYC and to chickens in general. My family and I have wanted chickens for a few years and finally pulled the trigger.

I received a free rabbit hutch from a friend and have spent the last few days modifying it for the girls. I would like some feedback on any flaws or things you see that may be an issue for the chickens, maintenance or safety

We plan on keeping 4 chicken. They will spend 75% of the time in the coop/run and 25% freeranging around our house.

This has 3 nest boxes, two perches and 4 vents with shudders ( I used some old HVAC floor vents)

Please let me know what you all think and advise you may have to make this the best it can be for the flock!

FYI- I plan on putting a mat on the coop floor and linoleum on the coop walls and one more run addition like the red one pictured.

Thanks- Jeremy

 

[Dmontgomery]

Lucky you. Congratulations on getting a free coop. It looks brand new!
What are the dimensions? It looks like they have enough room for roosting/sleeping, but the run looks a little small even with the addition. With only 4 it shouldn't be too bad though.
What is your climate like? If you are in an area that gets pretty hot, you will need to keep the vents open and it might not hurt to cut some windows and cover them with hardware cloth to get more ventilation.
It looks like you did a good job on the nesting boxes too. I don't figure that was part of the rabbit hutch.

 

[ChxLadyCass]

This looks so pretty! I hope your chickens enjoy! I agree about the run. You will want about 40 square feet for them to roam in the run, not including where you keep food and water if it is outside. What a great gift! Enjoy your new chickens!

 

[JeremyD]

Thanks for the response and feedback. The Coop is 4x3 so its a little small but i re-roofed it and added 12 more inches of height.
I live in New Mexico so we get true 4 seasons. Winter can get to the mid 20's F but not often, we are generally in the 40's F. Summer can get into the 90's and sometime over 100 but not too often. I have another 12x12 vent to add to the coop door to help ventilation. I think total i will have 4.5 square feet of venting. Should I add more?

The nesting boxes are giving me a hard time- I have redone them twice now and they are still not working right but i found a new design i am going to try. Everything that is red was part of the rabbit hutch and the bare wood is what i have added.

 

[JeremyD]

Thanks- I'll look into adding some more run area as well.

 

[ScottandSam]

Thanks- I'll look into adding some more run area as well.

very nice . Not much red and looks like someone knows there stuff when building. Very nice looking coop. for run with 4 birds shoot for 40sq ft. But I would personally figure out sq ft on the coop then divide by 4 then take that number by 10 and shoot for a run that size.

So if coop 4x3 that 12 good for 3 birds run should be 40 sq ft for 4 birds. I make 1 nesting box sq ft for the coop. 2 nesting boxes are plenty for 4 hens. that would more than likely give you that another sq ft to help with the hen load on that small coop.

Scott

 

[ChxLadyCass]

Thanks for the response and feedback.

The nesting boxes are giving me a hard time- I have redone them twice now and they are still not working right but i found a new design i am going to try. Everything that is red was part of the rabbit hutch and the bare wood is what i have added. 

I'm curious what your trouble is with the nesting boxes? They look great to me! I find it helpful to add curtains for privacy! Will make your nests even better! Also, I think it looks and sounds like you have great ventilation. You'll be able to smell if it's getting too much ammonia. I hear you on the extreme temps! I find my hens have been really resilient to it.