Help with Coop please! :)

[Nancie]

Ok, yikes! I just thought one of the prefab would work! Thank you. I will go try to look for any sheds on Craigslist. So the smallest indoor size for 12 chickens then would be what? So at a minimum indoor 3 sq ft/chicken X 12... I'd need 36 square feet. So a 6 x 6 area would be minimum inside, right? If we were to try and build something 6 ft. long by 6ft. wide... would it have to be as tall as a shed, or could it be shorter, like 5ft tall? Sorry... I'm just realizing how dumb I am about this stuff... a big learning curve!

 

[Nancie]

That's true, too. Maybe we started off too ambitious with 12. =(

 

[21hens-incharge]

Don't be sad. Every year tons and tons of people get those tiny prefab coops and then learn they are to small, flimsy, not predator resistant etc etc.
You are not alone.

At least you figured it out BEFORE putting them in it and still have a bit of time.

If you cannot find a shed or structure on craigs or at the big box store another option....and easier to build is a hoop coop.

A lot of people on here have made them and documented how hey did it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threadloom/search?query=Hoop coop&tab=620




You should see the prefabs for ducks.....oh dear the poo that ducks do would be horrible and gross in minutes in those.

 

[Justso]

Ok, yikes! I just thought one of the prefab would work! Thank you. I will go try to look for any sheds on Craigslist. So the smallest indoor size for 12 chickens then would be what? So at a minimum indoor 3 sq ft/chicken X 12... I'd need 36 square feet. So a 6 x 6 area would be minimum inside, right? If we were to try and build something 6 ft. long by 6ft. wide... would it have to be as tall as a shed, or could it be shorter, like 5ft tall? Sorry... I'm just realizing how dumb I am about this stuff... a big learning curve!

It could be shorter, just remember if it's tall enough to stand and it sure makes it a lot easier to clean out. You'll also be adding bedding on the floor most likely, and that will add height.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Ok, yikes! I just thought one of the prefab would work! Thank you. I will go try to look for any sheds on Craigslist. So the smallest indoor size for 12 chickens then would be what? So at a minimum indoor 3 sq ft/chicken X 12... I'd need 36 square feet. So a 6 x 6 area would be minimum inside, right? If we were to try and build something 6 ft. long by 6ft. wide... would it have to be as tall as a shed, or could it be shorter, like 5ft tall? Sorry... I'm just realizing how dumb I am about this stuff... a big learning curve!

So recommended size varies by a number of factors, including climate and size/type of birds.

The recommended minimum on here is 4 sq ft per in coop, (+ 10 sq ft in run) so 48 sq ft would be a good starting point. If you live somewhere with long, frigid winters, you'll need more space, as chickens may not want to come out for extended periods of time. I recommend you make it tall enough to stand up in - not really for the chickens, but for your ease of access.

In addition you want roughly 12" of roost per bird, as well as a minimum of 1 sq ft of ventilation per bird that stays open at all time.

The issue with prefabs as you've now discovered is that manufacturers are using commercial factory type numbers to calculate space, when that's not how most backyard keepers want to handle their flocks.

Since you already have this unit, you can probably keep the chicks in there for a while to buy some time until you can make a decision on how to best resolve this. Reducing number of birds is also an option.

 

[Elizabethwood09]

Maybe buy another of the same coop and put it at the other end of the run? So you have the run in the middle and the two coops facing each other. Also that is a lot of nesting boxes, you could probably remove the partitions on one side of each coop to give them a little more room to move around.

At the very least it could buy you more time until you decide whether or not you want a bigger single coop.

 

[DobieLover]

Oh wow. I'm kind of panicking because I'm realizing we might have gotten ourselves into way more than I thought. My husband might not be very happy with me! (He's not really a builder and is super busy). They are going on 3 weeks old, so I'm feeling a little panicky now that the clock is running down and the plan I thought I had isn't going to work!

Do you guys know of any simple plans to build something easy that could work for 12 chickens? I have NO idea what to do..

Have you talked to a local shed building company and asked what they do with old sheds that are removed from customers properties? Maybe you could take one of those more than likely just for the cost of moving it to your house and convert it relatively quickly.
I agree to check CL for used sheds or even a used coop you could clean up and sanitize before use.