First chicken coop

[moniquem]

Hi All,

I've been a member of this site for a while, bought my first home couple years ago, now I am seriously thinking of the chickens I'll get next spring.

I am currently fencing in my yard and am thinking of this coop https://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog/Chicken-Coops/The-Cottage-Chicken-Coop-4-5-chickens-p2481.aspx. I plan on either adding a run or simply enclosing the coop into a covered chain link dog run. I live in the city so can only have 3 chickens. Does any one have thoughts, suggestions on this coop?

Thanks a lot!

 

[lazy gardener]

First, welcome to BYC. You are going to enjoy your birds. I'm glad you're planning your coop first. I took a quick look at the specs for that coop. I can tell you that it is a cute coop, but woefully deficient in meeting the needs of a chicken or her owner.

General rule of thumb: minimum of 4 s.f. in coop of OPEN floor space per bird. Roost: 1 linear ft per bird. Roost should be a minimum of 12" from back wall, 15" is better. There should be 18" of open space above the roost. There should be enough space in front of the roost so that the birds can fly down. That coop is not even wide enough for the birds to fully extend their wings. Ventilation: there should be a minimum of 1 s.f. of ventilation per bird, or 10% of floor space. Vents should be positioned so that there is no draft on the birds while they roost. Nest boxes should be a minimum of 12 x 12" and 15" high. Recommendation is for 1 box per 4 birds. Bedding: there should be plenty of room for bedding to be at least 4" thick.

At the very most, that coop is big enough for 2 birds, and they will feel cramped in that space. Cramped birds are prone to behavioral issues. Stress from crowding will also make them more disease prone.

Are you handy with tools? Know anyone who is? It is fairly straight forward to design and build your own coop. You might even consider a cattle panel coop if you do not want to do standard wood framing. You might be able to find a tool shed, or even repurpose a dog house, and end up with a coop that is bigger, and will better meet your needs than one of the many cute little prefab coops that are on the market.

 

[nminusyplusm]

First, welcome to BYC! So happy to have you join us!

Where are you located? Choice of coop depends a lot on your particular weather and conditions.

Honestly, I wouldn't get that coop. At most it fits 2 large fowl and it's very small and low:

• Henhouse dimensions (excluding roof and legs): 41.25" long x 23" wide x 30" high
• Interior height: 29.5" high at peak

At a minimum look for a coop that has 4 sq ft per bird. Height should factor in draft free ventilation above roosts that are above nest boxes. If you want deep litter you'll need even more height. 6 ft high for something like that. You'll also want at least 10 sq ft of run per bird as well.

 

[moniquem]

Thanks for the feedback! I'm not that handy with tools but did purchase the Wichita plans. I have time before spring to work on making my own coop/run.

 

[nminusyplusm]

Thanks for the feedback! I'm not that handy with tools but did purchase the Wichita plans. I have time before spring to work on making my own coop/run.

I love the Wichita coop, I based mine off of it. It's very user and chicken friendly!

 

[aart]

I live in the city so can only have 3 chickens.

Are there any other 'rules' for how big your coop can be(or has to be),
or where it can set on your property?

 

[moniquem]

No size restrictions, just can't be closer than 90 feet from middle of surrounding lots. I have restrictions on how many though, 1/1000 square feet. I'm kind of new to all of this so really only wanted a few chickens to start. Most likely will get a couple BO's and a Jesrsey Giant.

 

[aart]

No size restrictions, just can't be closer than 90 feet from middle of surrounding lots. I have restrictions on how many though, 1/1000 square feet. I'm kind of new to all of this so really only wanted a few chickens to start. Most likely will get a couple BO's and a Jesrsey Giant.

How big is your lot?

 

[nminusyplusm]

No size restrictions, just can't be closer than 90 feet from middle of surrounding lots. I have restrictions on how many though, 1/1000 square feet. I'm kind of new to all of this so really only wanted a few chickens to start. Most likely will get a couple BO's and a Jesrsey Giant.

If I knew then what I know now, I would have somehow found the room to build my coop bigger for the maximum number of chickens my property allows (10 hens). Instead I built for 7 and bought 7. One turned out to be a cockerel, one died during a bad storm while I was unconscious due to a terrible reaction to a pneumonia vaccine so now I have 5. If you start out with 3 it can become 1 fast. It's harder to integrate than raise them together as chicks.

 

[moniquem]

How big is your lot?

My lot is 6500