HHEELLPP::!! chickens coming soon, need coop help..?

If you have help, you can build something in 5 weeks- I am making a 4 x 8 by myself- large enough to walk in., and I have no experience. Just make sure it's water and windproof and you can access every corner of it easily for cleaning.
Are you in the UK? I checked the Cumfy Pets site, and the prices are all pounds.

 

Welcome

 

there are free coop plans at purina.com. 5 weeks is plenty of time to build a coop that will be sturdier than most of those pictured in post & cheaper to. Plus it will give you &dad & mom somethng to do together. good luck with chicks

 

Congratulations on the new birds!

You will have about 2 months before they are ready to move out of the brooder so don't get in a hurry! Build or buy the biggest coop you can.

I have pretty good building skills, but didn't want to spend the kind of $$ it takes to build a large coop. So I bought a pre-cut storage shed.

You can get a very large shed for less than $1000 & in fact I got my 8x10 for $500. All I had to do was put it together! & it came with instructions!

Now - for your quesitons.

Most chickens do great in the coldest of cold. Consider that wild birds live outside in the winter & do fine. Chickens are not really any different as long as the roost they sleep on is flat. If the roost is round their toes are exposed & get frost bite. If it is flat they sit on their feet & keep nice & warm.

The heat is a different story - they dont' do well in heat. The best way to deal with this is to have a coop with lots of ventilation. Large windows or vents that can be opened to let the heat out. Plus lots of fresh water.

Again - congrats on the new flock!

 

Quote:Try the purina coop. It seems very sound and cost-effective for a small budget. I bought a lot of my lumber from the "cull pile" at my local Home Depot. It's usually odd lengths, sometimes a bit warped or splintered and 1/2 the price.

If your chickens are coming as chicks you can brood them in a large rubbermaid tub while you build a coop. I think a lot of the pre-fab ones like you pictured will not last in the weather where you live past a season or two, then you'll be double investing when you have to build a new sturdier coop a year from now.

Also suggest checking out your local craig's list for a dog house maybe you could easily convert. A lot ob BYC members have great pages of converted doghouse coops on the coop designs pages.

.. and

remember - we're here to help!

 

Hey,

I am also in New England, Leominster Ma. I also had Silkies....I insulated and had a flat panel heater that I bought from www.shopthecoop.com. It kicks on at 32 degrees and shuts off at 45 degrees. I am moving it to my new larger coop so I can rest easy in the freezing weather.

 

Insulation keeps it cooler in summer as well. You could hire someone to build you a little coop and then you and your Mom and Dad could easily construct a nice big run. Have fun!

 

I'm in Chicago and have a Ware brand coop. We mount a heat lamp with screen over it inside and it's nice and toasty in -30 weather. It stays about 40 degrees in there. Depending on the volume of space in the coop and the number of birds you could get away with heat lamps mounted over the perches to keep them from getting frostbite. Silkies are incredibly fluffy and do well in the cold. And their little feathered feet are great snowshoes! Congrats on your new arrivals!