Hello all...Im new and please tell me what you think

[seedcorn]

Agree with what everyone is saying. I'd elevate it enough so that the chickens can go underneath it as part of their pen. If you could cut a door in the back so that you could put a manure catcher on the bottom of the coop, it would make clean-out so easy.

Or put wheels on back, with small run and move it daily around yard so they don't kill grass.

With just 3-4 hens you have a world of possibilities....

 

[pierce652]

Well I just got back from picking up the new home and couldnt be happier. I snagged a truck and a helper and was off to Longmeadow MA. This really was a great adventure and if its any indication of whats to come then I will really enjoy the ride.

My friends truck is a 4x4 Chevy with roof rack blue lights (fire dept) and smoke stack exhausts. In the back window is an NRA sticker, a Farmall sticker and a Backwoods Custom Design sticker. Since we were in Mass. the bluelight was illegal so I brought along some black trash bags and ducktape and just before the border we but the bags over the lights and taped them down.

We arrive at the swanky and very posh neighborhood to find the lady of the house outside painting her window boxes. We slowly drive by the house as she watches us pass out of sight. Realizing its the house we back up and back into her line of sight. The look on her face was priceless as we backed into her driveway and hopped out.She couldnt call for her husband fast enough. Anyways, we got the house and its absolutely perfect and just what I had in my head. Its now in the garage for the minor modifications...putting the back wall on a hinge with a closure and adding nesting boxes. Possibly some paint as my 4 year old doesnt like the white paint since as she said "everyone knows chicken coops are supposed to be red."

It measures 5 ft tall, 3 feet wide and 4 feet deep. Using the rule of 4 feet I should have 3 chickens...but the kids each want two. Can I get another girl in the house?

I will post more pics in a while.

 

[banter]

It is gorgeous but think about winter in New England. The winter was a HORRIBLE this last
season. I had a had a hard time keeping my chickens from freezing in my attached barn. I had lots of straw and sealed every crack I could by stapling plastic sheeting everywhere. I also have only hardy breeds of chickens. I would make sure coop is well insulated!

 

[banter]

Also, I have always had dreams of chickens too-They are so worth having! You will be hooked! My Russian Grandma got me hooked! I know you will love them! They are really an easy animal to keep. Good Luck!

 

[pierce652]

One of the modifications will be insulation and a heat lamp for the nights. Several friends have chickens and some do not even use a heat lamp in the winter.

 

[kkkkatie]

Welcome! I think that will make a dashing coop! I just got 4 baby chicks, and have a little doghouse-size coop & run. My chicks are just a few days old, so they're still in the brooder at the moment.

Tell me, I'm in CT and would love to visit that place in NH. Can you post or email me the name of it? Thanks! And good luck with your chickens, mine are only 5 days old and I'm jealous that you still have the planning in front of you, it's so much fun!

 

[Henrietta23]

Nice find! I think it will work fine for you. We've got two hens in one modified dog house and two ducks in another. They work great. We added roosts and nest boxes to the ones the chickens are in. There's a chicken sized door with a ramp and my husband made it so the whole front is hinged and can drop down for super easy cleaning. I think because it is fairly small the chickens keep each other warm. I've never put a thermometer in it but it always seems pretty warm in there when I open it in the winter.

 

[swiftfoot]

looks good

 

[pierce652]

Well, spent the day doing work on the hen house...I cant bring myself to call it a coop since its so small and its just gonna look soooo...good.

I took off the back wall and put it on hinges with a slick closing latch thats going to make clean out a snap. Ripped out the rubber matting that was on the floor and will replace it with linoleum in the next day or two. I replaced some trim boards that were on the verge of rotting because the house was sitting on the ground.

I also took off the front to replace it with new plywood since the dog door was way too big and there was no nice way of closing it down. The opening was also dead center and I want the opening to one side to give more workable space inside.

The shingles are off and the roof is drying out now...apparently the builder wasnt a great roofer...not that I am but I will make sure all the wood is covered. I have left over shingles from the roofing job last summer. I think Im going to paint the girls house to match mine. Same shingles and all.

Three questions.

1. How big should the door be. I read 9 x 12...is that correct?

2. Also, if I am going to cut a wall to put nesting boxes off the side of the house how high off the ground should they be and what size. I am planning on making an opening on the left wall opposite the window. If you can tell from the picture, where would you place a roost.

3. Finally, with the door...do you put a lip in (a 2x4) in order to keep the litter in the house?

Heres some pics of the progress... http://community.webshots.com/album/563480465KPVQEL?vhost=community

 

[Standard Hen]

I use all dog houses for my chickens encompassed in two pens. They are not insulated, no heat lamps. I put plastic over the little screen door in the winter with lots of shavings and hay. I also add cracked corn to their diet for added fuel to keep them warm and scratch.
They all fill the roosts and stay nice and warm. My chickens only go in the coops to sleep and otherwise they are outside all the time so I do not go by the so many feet per bird.. If it is really bad wet windy weather they go in and out but you will be amazed at what they will stand out in.
The dog house that you have is nice and tall and will make a nice little house for them. I would love to have a nice big walk in coop myself! But honestly the chickens really don't care, as long as they have someplace safe, dry, and draft free during the winter they are quite happy. My opinion is 4 birds are no problem at all for the little palace. Good Luck, your family is going to love chickening!