Help me with a plan - Pic included!

[Acre4Me]

New to chickens, but plan to get some in the spring. Will either purchase day-old chicks from local farm store in the spring, or will buy adults from a local farmer or 4-H kid. I've attached a pic of the area I plan to put the coop. The barn building has two dog pens across the back with loosely laid paving stones. The fence is great for dogs, but would need to be fortified for chickens.

There is a "dog box" inside the barn with dog doors out to the dog pens (noted in pic). However, I don't think I would want to have the chicken coop in the garage (due to smell and mess) in the place of the dog box, although it would be nice for weather protection for the humans when we tend to the coop/chickens/eggs. If we did place the coop in the garage, the chickens would go outside through the dog doors (or these could be made larger to accommodate an appropriate chicken door). I'm in Central Ohio, so we sometimes get those pesky arctic blasts with nighttime lows of -15 to -20F on occasion, but these are not every year, and usually not that low of a temp. The barn is tall and has an open loft area - loft is open on both sides, so good air flow.

So, tell me what you think with regards to chicken keeping and coop placement. I didn't measure the pens, however, barn width is equivalent to a 4 car garage width. The dog pens are very wind sheltered as the wind predominantly comes from the west and the pens are on the east side of the barn. Neighbors have some chickens, but it appears that they stay in their run all the time. Those chickens are at the other side of that persons yard. To the east of the dog pens is a bit more yard with a few raised beds then a field. We plan to plant raspberries in the area to the North of the dog pens.

1. Coop Placement comments
2. Inside or outside the barn for the actual coop?
3. Coop Design Comments
4. How many chickens could we reasonably have? (not looking to have a large number of them)
5. Best things to re-do or improve to the existing dog pens?
6. Adding a turkey or three? I know possible health probs - but many are successful with mixed flock, so comments welcome.
7. South side of yard is wetter and shadier (not in pics). Ducks? No pen or any structure in that area, so would need to build something if we went this way.

Thx!

 

[aart]

I'd put the coop inside...but what else does the barn do?
Chicken dust will get on everything.
Are vehicles parked in the barn? Exhaust can be bad for birds.
Pics of inside of barn would help, along with measurements of proposed area.

Outside dog pen (soon to be chicken run), will need a roof of at least mesh, solid would be better for winters. Might want to remove pavers.

Apron added to run to deter diggers.
Good examples of installation, tho I'd not recommend 1/2" HC...go with 14ga 1x2 or 1x1, will hold up much longer and is easier to lay flat.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1110498/wire-around-coop#post_17093528
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-coop-project.1169916/page-2#post-18481208

There are 3 good reads linked in my signature, hope you can see them.

 

[lazy gardener]

Biggest issue I see is that you are going to have snow and rain shed from the eaves year round. Chickens would prefer bare soil to dig in instead of the pavers. Those could be removed.

I have to block off a large portion of my chicken run in the winter, b/c of snow shed from the metal roof of the coop. One big whump would result in chickens buried until spring thaw!

Aart brings up a good point about gas fumes if you park cars in the barn/garage. Perhaps you could build a solid walled coop in the barn, to contain the dust. This could be accessed through a pass door so you can tend birds without going through "weather" in the winter. But, even a solid walled affair might not eliminate CO and other exhaust fumes from the coop area.

I suggest that you start small, with chickens, then as you get a good feel for managing them, you could add ducks and turkeys at a later date. I'd want to house those species separately. Plan on minimum of 4 s.f. in coop and 10 s.f. in run per chicken. Allow extra space for integration of new birds, more space if you plan on a rooster, even more space if you ever anticipate hatching chicks.

 

[aart]

Biggest issue I see is that you are going to have snow and rain shed from the eaves year round.

Was one of my first thoughts too....
....there is a gutter, but still.

 

[lazy gardener]

Gutter won't help with the big snow WHUMP!!! A good storm with snow from that steep roof will completely bury the run!

 

[aart]

Gutter won't help with the big snow WHUMP!!! A good storm with snow from that steep roof will completely bury the run!

Well, they aren't in a snow belt...maybe we'll get more info on snow history and pitch of roof(which can't be seen in the pic provided).

 

[lazy gardener]

I thought Ohio got a fair amount of snow. But... What do I know!

 

[Folly's place]

The roof can be extended as a shed roof over the coop (now fenced) area, and snow will not be landing on the birds! That's what I'd do, if finances allowed.
Mary

 

[pennyJo1960]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens glad you decided to join us and Happy Solstice today

 

[AbbysSilkies]

New to chickens, but plan to get some in the spring. Will either purchase day-old chicks from local farm store in the spring, or will buy adults from a local farmer or 4-H kid. I've attached a pic of the area I plan to put the coop. The barn building has two dog pens across the back with loosely laid paving stones. The fence is great for dogs, but would need to be fortified for chickens.

There is a "dog box" inside the barn with dog doors out to the dog pens (noted in pic). However, I don't think I would want to have the chicken coop in the garage (due to smell and mess) in the place of the dog box, although it would be nice for weather protection for the humans when we tend to the coop/chickens/eggs. If we did place the coop in the garage, the chickens would go outside through the dog doors (or these could be made larger to accommodate an appropriate chicken door). I'm in Central Ohio, so we sometimes get those pesky arctic blasts with nighttime lows of -15 to -20F on occasion, but these are not every year, and usually not that low of a temp. The barn is tall and has an open loft area - loft is open on both sides, so good air flow.

So, tell me what you think with regards to chicken keeping and coop placement. I didn't measure the pens, however, barn width is equivalent to a 4 car garage width. The dog pens are very wind sheltered as the wind predominantly comes from the west and the pens are on the east side of the barn. Neighbors have some chickens, but it appears that they stay in their run all the time. Those chickens are at the other side of that persons yard. To the east of the dog pens is a bit more yard with a few raised beds then a field. We plan to plant raspberries in the area to the North of the dog pens. View attachment 1214648

1. Coop Placement comments
2. Inside or outside the barn for the actual coop?
3. Coop Design Comments
4. How many chickens could we reasonably have? (not looking to have a large number of them)
5. Best things to re-do or improve to the existing dog pens?
6. Adding a turkey or three? I know possible health probs - but many are successful with mixed flock, so comments welcome.
7. South side of yard is wetter and shadier (not in pics). Ducks? No pen or any structure in that area, so would need to build something if we went this way.

Thx!

Hi! I’m so excited that you’re getting chickens!
I don’t know all the math about keeping chickens, but if you raised them together as a flock, I think you could keep around 10 chickens very comfortably in there! I have a smaller coop and run (20 sq feet in the run) and my 4 hens seem perfectly happy with that, and when I do let them free range they always willingly go back in when I call them, so they must not be too cramped.
As for the coop style, our run is like a tall A line and our coop is box shaped and slightly raised with a nesting box and a perch.
Also, I don’t know much about turkeys but if you’re looking for a strange, decorative guard bird, you might try a guinea! Our first guinea was an angel, she’d roam around letting people pet her, and cuddled with the dogs every night. The one I have now is a bit like a feral cat; mean as a snake to people he doesn’t know, and he doesn’t like to be held, but he also is “coincidentally” within 5 feet of me at all times sooo... if a guinea likes you, you have a friend for life.
You could probably have ducks! They need a lot of space though.... but I’m pretty sure there’s a breed that doesn’t need water. Also, for reinforcing coop, steel wire is good! We have steel wiring enclosing our pens. Chicken wire isn’t good for keeping chickens in, but a raccoon could tear right through it, so wiring is better if there are predators.
Good luck!