Having Anxiety about picking a coop.....

[Nursecole]

So I am a brand new chicken mama....I have 1 delaware, 1 golden buff, 1 buff orp, 1 amerucuana, 1 barred rock, and 1 white leghorn. We live in a neighborhood where i am not allowed to have a storage shed so i cant convert one into a hen house. I have been looking online a lot and have been stressing over what coop to buy. I have looked at the extreme hen house.
http://www.wayfair.com/Precision-Pe...NP1216.html?redir=pnp1216&rtype=8&dept=0&ust=
and the Gone Green Tuscan Villa
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/gonegreen-tuscan-villa-6-8-chicken-capacity-ca-prop-65

I would love to build my own, but i am wondering if it would be better to stay with something prefab and upgrade later.
My big question is "is this enough sleeping space for my girls?"
i can extend the run without too much problem i think.
The other thing is that our house backs up to a field and creek and now my husband has scared me to death because he says that our chickens are going to get eaten by a wild animal! any extra precautions i can take to keep my girls safe??
TYIA
Nicole

 

[Judy]

Prebuilt coops are typically rather expensive and, more importantly, hold far fewer chickens comfortably than they say. It diesn't help that you have to guess the square footage of the house portion. The Gone Green, for example, is appaarently about 2'x4' indoor space, not counting nests. The run is about 2' x 10', or 20 sq ft, enough for 2 chickens. 8 sq ft in the coop (not counting nests or space for feeder and waterer) is enough for 2 chickens, or 3 bantams. That's based on a "rule of thumb" figure of 4 sq ft in the coop and 10 sq ft in the run per bird -- which is an estimate of the minimum needed to prevent pecking, feather picking and cannibalism. It is almost always cheaper and healthier for the birds to build. A simple 4x8 or 4x6 shed is roomy enough for most climates. A 4x6 is just the mnimum of 24 sq ft for 6 -- but any time you can build bigger, you will not regret it. Generally, building an 8x8 costs little more than building smaller because of lumber sizes being 8'; a "stud" or standard 8' 2x4 is generally a relatively inexpensive piece of lumber. The simplest way to build is with the roof slanting to only one side, which is also easy to ventilate by leaving open the high side across one wall (covered with haardware cloth or something similar, to keep precators out.) Metal roofs are simple to construct, reflect sunlight, and last forever.

Also, your cimate is warm enough to have a 3 swided structure with attached wire roofed and sided area for outdoors. Several examples of what I mean are here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/163417/please-show-me-your-hot-weather-coops/0_20

Good luck!

It depends what they call a storage shed, too. If it's a building used for chickens and not storage, is it a storage shed, regardless of constuction? If it looks like a playhouse because it has a front door and window painted on, is it a sotrage shed? Are you sure they wouldn't call those a storage shed? Every local law is different, not to mention that enforcement varies widely. Often the key is to have neighbors who don't mind a few chickens next door, especially if they get some fresh eggs now and then.

 

[Folly's place]

x2! Check with your local building code and rules first, so no rebuilds needed. Why not a playhouse? Potting shed? Movable structure? I haven't seen a solid prebuilt large enough 'hen house' yet, except the good home built ones. six birds equals 25 to 30 square feet MINIMUM indoors and 60+ square feet in an enclosed run. You will want more... Predator safety is all about construction, lots of good information about that. OVERBUILD ! Mary