Hi!! new here a long with everyone else! :) need coop help!

Date sort Score sort
iPeanut1990

iPeanut1990

Chirping
5 Years
Joined
May 7, 2014
Messages
237
Reaction score
8
Points
81
Location
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Hello! I'm iPeanut1990! I'm super excited to be here!

I have decided to try out raising chickens! I want them only for laying. I live in Oklahoma where we have very hot, humid summers and cold winters sometimes with snow. We really don't get much of a nice spring. It's either hot or cold haha. So I'm looking at Rhode Island Reds as my starter chickens. I only want/need 2-3 right now but may want to expand to a few Silkies down the road as well. I'm not very handy but I'm pretty good at putting things together so I will probably definitely be getting a pre-build coop with a larger run.

1. I have a 7 year old blue heeler. While I have 3 bird feeders in my backyard and she's pretty ok with birds I'm still wondering how well she'll tolerate chickens since they will have to share a backyard. She does like to chase birds and squirrels. She has caught and killed few birds and squirrels before but only on a rare occasion. Are there any tips? Also, is there anything I need to know about keeping the yard hygienic for both pup and chickens or is it not something I really need to worry about? Also have a 14 year old lab but I'm pretty sure he won't even notice his new friends in the yard lol. Any suggestions on how to introduce the dogs to the chickens?

2. Now onto the coops I've been looking at! Forgive me and my math learning disability. I'm having some trouble figuring out which coops would be good options. I really can't picture how big these are in my head. I'm having trouble finding reviews on some of them too.

3. Are they gonna freak out and have heart attacks when the lawn guys come to mow our yard?

Coop #1 http://www.aosom.com/d-327/Pawhut-D...-Poultry-Hen-House-w-Outdoor-Run.html#reviews This coop is the very first one I fell in love with. However a lot of people on Amazon say it's too small for even bantams. Others say they love it. It gets a lot of love on Wayfair.com too. Is it really too small for 2-3 RIR?

Coop #2 http://www.aosom.com/d-3439/Pawhut-Large-Backyard-Chicken-Coop-with-Outdoor-Run.html


Coop # 3 http://www.aosom.com/d-3437/Pawhut-...age-Guinea-Pig-Rabbit-Hutch-Chicken-Coop.html


Coop #4 http://www.wayfair.com/Trixie-Pet-Products-Trixie-Chicken-Coop-with-a-View-55962-TXI1001.html


Coop #5 http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/sto...-5-7-chicken-capacity-ca-prop-65?cm_vc=-10005

Can anyone tell me if ANY of these coops might work? If not can someone please give me a good coop suggestion? I'm going Tractor Supply today to see what kinds of coops they might have. Also going to a local gardening place that a friend told me might have chicken coops.

1 more thing: Can someone give me a quick chicken 101 about how to handle them in the heat and in the winter?
 
images


Welcome to BYC!

So glad you could join our community! I like the Trixie coop and the Pawhut 2 story, but any of these coops will work. As long as there is 4 or 5 square feet per bird in the coop and about 10 square feet per bird in the run. Birds do go off on each other when cramped in.

You might want to stop by our learning center here on BYC for lots of tips and hints on raising your new flock and summer and winter tips as well...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

Good luck with this new adventure you are on and welcome to our flock!
 
Thanks! I've been browsing :)

I have a few new coops I've been looking at... this one: http://www.aosom.com/d-2197/Pawhut-Chicken-Coop-with-Outdoor-Run-Nesting-Box.html

this one http://www.wayfair.com/Ware-Mfg-Premium-Chicken-Coop-with-Ramp-01462-WFG1094.html

this one http://www.hayneedle.com/product/habitatshavenchickencoop.cfm

and this one http://www.hayneedle.com/product/boomerandgeorgetreetopschickencoop1.cfm Any of those good options too?

I live in Oklahoma so I'm growing increasingly worried about tornadoes and how to protect my chickens. I found this woman's blog post http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/08/hurricane-preparedness-for-backyard.html and thought she had some great suggestions but any suggestions on how to anchor the coop into the ground so it doesn't fly away?
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! You might want to check your state thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/270925/find-your-states-thread if anybody knows if there is anyone who builds coops locally or what there is available so far as wooden sheds etc you could convert from home improvement stores for the same price if you don't want to try and make your own. The pre-fab coops tend to be really cute but pretty much all of those "fir wood" coop kits are not suitable for outdoor use in any place that has any kind of winter. They are a really flimsy wood (predators maybe a problem), and the coops are tiny, they hold about half the chickens they are listed as being able to hold. They are nice for chicks or for a hen or two if you have a protected area like in a barn or under some other cover. You generally seem to be looking at $1000+ (shipping is a killer) for a decent coop if it is not local. Do check out the BYC Coops forum, there are pretty detailed instructions with a lot of the coops, if you can find someone local who is handy you might see what they charge to make one www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coop_Designs
There are some nice threads on BYC about training dogs to be around chickens, ie here is a nice one, there might be some tips you can use for teaching your own dogs https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/829562/training-teaching-a-dog-about-chickens
Lawn mowers etc tend to scare chickens, but they generally get over it pretty quick if it is just mowing by.
 
I think your younger dog will be a problem with the birds, I wouldn't trust him sharing a backyard with chickens. It would be better if the chickens or the dog had a solidly build enclosed run "so never the twain shall meet."
 
drumstick diva said:
I think your younger dog will be a problem with the birds, I wouldn't trust him sharing a backyard with chickens. It would be better if the chickens or the dog had a solidly build enclosed run "so never the twain shall meet."
Click to expand...


That's what I'm planning on doing :) I'm planning on having the coop in a 10'x20' dog kennel with a tin roof and with hardware wire all the way around and about 3 or 4 feet up the sides. I'm not sure I trust her either. I just don't want her barking at them all the time and stressing them out but I think she'll learn to ignore them once she realizes she can't get at them.
 
Last edited:
Welcome to BYC! x2 on drumstick diva's advice about keeping them separate, I was just going to say the same thing. Good luck to you.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom