First coop - will we regret something this small? (UPDATED)

[speedy2020]

I would build one for about 15-20 chickens. You don't need a big coop, but do need a big run. I used shipping box and it works out great.

 

[Tikkijane]

Go bigger.

We haven't even moved ours out yet, and already we are probably going to make a new one that is bigger. I am a victim of chicken math.

We would have to add on to the run area at the very least and hunny wants to add a second roosting area. And the figuring out how to connect it all without undoing what he's already done= doing a bigger one.

Go bigger.

You will save money in the long run, particularly if you can do it yourself. If you search here for recycled materials, you can find some really good threads on coops/tractors built without spending a lot.

 

[ChicKat]

Hi----

here is a voice on the other side of the question.

It sounds like you have a whole yard for your chickens to play in, and if you are ready to have three, then they may be happy in that or a similar small coop. Sometimes I think that the 4sq ft per chicken rule applies to the larger flocks where there are more 'chicken personalities' to deal with.

Someplace I heard a 1.5 sq foot per chicken on the inside.... and more space on the outside. They go in the coop to sleep and to lay eggs.

I have a really small space and run--- but my 3 are quite content. Most important to me is that they are safe from predators. If you have a smaller coop, cleaning is quicker and easier. Should you someday need larger accomodations your small coop could be a place to raise a batch of chicks with their mother hen, or if you need to isolate a sick chicken or a newly acquired chicken a small coop would be ideal. Your idea about a chicken ark that you could move around would also give fresh grazing to your chickens.

It would be nice to hear more from people with a very few.... The dynamics change when you add more. It would be interesting to see what people with the same size flock you are thinking about have experienced.

The type of chicken that you choose will make a difference on the space requirements too.

I think that the back yard owner with only a few chickens can be very successful with a coop that is smaller than the owner of a dozen chickens.

The PVC pipe and hardware cloth run is really a neat idea too....what self respecting chicken wouldn't love that when they are unable to free range.

One thing that may be important to you also is to provide enough area where they can be dry -- if Seattle still has nearly daily rains. You may want to make sure that a large part of your run is covered.

 

[hcppam]

To small and the wood on those is junk...I was going to buy one.search and surfed the web finally decided to build it myself (and I mean by myself) out of reclaimed wood much better, about the same price you would pay for that. The chickens can hang on a little longer in the house or garage, if you can. chicken 101 BYC says 2-3 SF per bird???

 

[nwtim]

Quote:
I believe you might be comparing the "run" portion of the CC-28 to that of the CC-03, but we're most interested in the hen house portion, as we feel that would require the most work to build and be the more difficult part to expand. As for the "house" portion of these units, the CC-28 is quite a bit larger than the CC-03, and the designer states, "Will Hold up to 6 Hens or 8 Bantams ". At 36" wide by 27" deep PLUS a 3-bay nesting box, it seems very roomy for such a compact unit (nearly twice as big as the unit linked at the top of the OP). We're thinking that the screened-in area beside and below the house portion would be much simpler to expand than the house portion. We're also planning on putting it up on some kind of pillow blocks with a hardware cloth surround that would raise it up at least another 6 inches or so.

I believe the concern about the quality of the wood is very legitimate, but it seems there are things we could do to get the most out of it. Knowing my nature to always try to make things better, I know I"m going to eventually build a larger, more robust coop. Then I could incorporate some of the lessons we learn about our particular needs and preferences that we definitely don't realize yet.

As for ventilation, I was figuring it would be fairly simple to add our own vents near the top and maybe even wire in a thermostatically controlled 120mm fan or two to help keep the air moving out of the hen house. I'm assuming we need a light in there already, anyway, don't we (in order to "lengthen" the days in the winter)?

Thanks for the link to www.chickengardener.com. We'll definitely be contacting them to learn more about their coops, as they look very well made.

 

[reddog1970]

I am new to this too. I looked around at a lot of coops and saw a lot that were too small, not made that well, and cost alot more then doing it myself. I finally decided that if I built it myself, I could get exactly what I wanted, make it the size I wanted, and I would know it was made to be sturdy. I went with a 4' x 6' coop. We plan on 6 hens. I am going to start the run construction today. It has been so much fun building it myself. It will give you a very rewarding feeling and you wont be left saying I wish I had bought one a little bigger. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Cargo]

Ask yourself if you will ever need to get the coop through a gate into or out of the back yard.

 

[rsarns]

Pretty new to this also, live north of you on WHidbey Island. I am in the county so I am not limited to the amount of chickens I can have by any ordinance. WE decided this year to get chickens, our original thought was to have 10 chickens. SO after the first trip to the feed store with the wife and kids, we came home with 14 chicks. I built a 3x5 brooder, and just finished the coop... my coop is 11 x 10, the building is 16x10 but lef 5 foot in the front separated for storage, and the run which we are almost done with is 24x24 and 6 foot tall. We now have 20 chicks, and am looking at getting 4-6 more, as I want some more Marans...... now I am worrying that my coop might be too small... LOL Go big!

 

[ChicKat]

rsarns has a good point.....

storage for all the 'chicken stuff', could be a garden shed by itself.

Depending upon how much stuff you use.

I have feed, litter and nest box liner (I use a bale of wood shavings from the feed store), oyster shell, grit, extra feeder and waterer, chicken toy (oh yes my friends...a little cage that hangs on a chain with a bell on the bottom that holds lettuce for them to peck on)-- stored when it is empty. DE in a sprayer and in a 50# bag... meal worm treats... a poop scoop. I have some medicines in the house -- like Vet Rx.

I keep the feeds in lidded plastic bins - But a tight fitting trash can or something to keep the rodents away.. Those all require some space in your chicken keeping plan. (if you want them in the coop---you need to build/buy accordingly.)

I suppose you could never have too much room. Like a potting bench or a potting shed, it is nice to preplan a place to keep all the cool stuff you have for your chcken keeping.

for me, the items are stored elsewhere and only the chickens use the coop.

 

[nwtim]

All the "quality" coops are far to expensive for us, but they have me convinced I can do a lot better than the under $500 units I've linked to in this thread. The problem is that there are a million ways to fabricate a "coop" and sifting through all the pros and cons is quite a daunting task.

I ordered a couple of those "Money Back Guaranteed" Coop Plan kits to look through some of the designs that have complete materials lists and step-by-step instructions in hopes of finding a plan with all the details that would meet our particular needs and preferences, but I was disappointed. One of the things I was hoping to find was a smaller coop with a removable bedding tray for easy cleaning and - if need be - replacement. Nonetheless, I'm convinced that if we're going end up with a coop that we can afford and not feel like we're throwing money away, I've got to come up with a design that'll be funtional the way we're hoping and that I can build without too much trouble. I've started laying out a plan that is centered around a raised cabinet that can accommodate an easily-removable slide-in 3' x 4' tray (1/2" plywood with a border of 2x4's on edge).

A couple questions:

1) When I was young, my family kept rabbits in hutches with hardware cloth for the floor so the droppings would just fall through to an easy to clean tray. Would anything like that work for chickens?

2) Are there any huge drawbacks to utilizing a lean-to style flat roof as opposed to one with a peak on it? It seems that a flat roof on a slight angle would be very easy to make work on a shorter coop (maybe 5 feet tall) and it could actually be propped up for additional ventilation on those hot summer nights (of course I would hardware cloth the top just under it).