I don't understand

[chicmom]

Oh, I see what you're saying. The coop is not necessarily going to attract predators. All the animals that eat chickens can smell them, or even see them. I live in a wooded area, and we have so many predators. If you're in the city, you might not have as many wild animals, but you'd be surprised! Alot of the animals are nocturnal, and you don't see them during the day. You might have raccoons around, or even birds like hawks. Or possums, and skunks. After dark, they're on the prowl. And coyotes are seen alot more often in the cities now.

I have a nice 8x12 hen house, with a covered attached run, but I live out in the country, and my property is surrounded by woods. I do let my chickens free range, out of their chicken run, so they're loose. They do this for a few hours each evening. I get home at 5:00, and I let them out until dark, when they return to the coop on their own. Then I come out and lock them up. Now that it's dark earlier, my husband will let them out a 3pm when he gets home, so they still get a few hours to free range.

There are always predators lurking.....on the ground or overhead. Even stray dogs will grab a chicken. Even a bluejay, can grab a chick and eat it.

 

[tntchix]

Since you sight cost as one of your concerns, you can look around here for lots of great ideas of ways people have managed to build some really nice structures at little to no out-of-pocket cost - pallet coops, upcycled, recycled, etc projects.

Sometimes craigslist has some freebies too. An old shed, a playhouse, sometimes even someone has to get rid of a coop right away. Good luck.

I have no idea where to start. I see many coops presented here. I am capable of physically building any of them myself, but I'm looking for the least expensive choice. As in zero dollars.

Why can I not just put some chickens in a fenced area and be done with it?

You can do that, some do. Mine are secured at night in the coop and spend the day in the run. I have been lucky so far to not have "predators" lurking but eventually yes, they will come to try and get them and if they are not secure, bye bye birdies. Not fun.

 

[Jason38]

(Wow, a bluejay? I thought chickens were tough, lol. )

This is so helpful. I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing before I experience it. Coop too smelly to be near the house? Coop too vulnerable away away from the house? Will I be up at nights with a .22 rifle to defend my chickens? Oh my, our cats are going to be a problem? Do they need shade? Does the coop need all the latches and doors I see? Don't they eat grasshoppers, because we have tons?

I have a graded concrete slab I'm told was for pig pens. Is that something to think about using in the design?

I'm overwhelmed with ignorance.

 

[Wxguru]

Here is the thread to my pallet coop build: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/924964/pallet-coop-time
I havent worked on it in 10 days, but will be working on and finishing it hopefully this next week while on vacation. I will be posting updated pictures.

 

[RavenGemini]

Tntchix..... Ours loves anything smaller than them that moves... I've seen mine go after a small mole, a snake, every spider they can reach (and others they can't) and I have had to refill holes before where they have dug and dug at ant hills! It seemed like I had bugs, then I got chickens, then I had A Lot Less bugs...... As long as they leave the beneficial bugs alone we're good, but that is not always the case..... Naggie took on a praying mantis one day.

 

[tntchix]

Tntchix..... Ours loves anything smaller than them that moves... I've seen mine go after a small mole, a snake, every spider they can reach (and others they can't) and I have had to refill holes before where they have dug and dug at ant hills! It seemed like I had bugs, then I got chickens, then I had A Lot Less bugs...... As long as they leave the beneficial bugs alone we're good, but that is not always the case..... Naggie took on a praying mantis one day.

non toxic pest control is definitely a bonus.

 

[LindaSmith]

As a home builder I used most of the stuff I had left over from that including 2 incorrectly sized windows that the vendor didn't want back but I get many people stopping by who ask for left over sheathing, lumber, etc. for dog houses, coops, even their own remodels and I gladly give it to them so I don't have to pay to haul it away. One guy sided his whole coop with Hardie Board from 1 job I was doing. They were all small pieces but he came back and showed me the pictures and it looked great. Keeps this stuff out of landfills, too. I do not offer this on Craig's List as I did once and they decided to come back later and clean me out of all my sheathing. It doesn't hurt to swing by a project and ask. Other than the hardware cloth and the doors which I got from second use everything else was from the worksites including the architectural composition roofing shingles (had to buy 1 pack as I was a little short).

 

[ridemcowgirl]

(Wow, a bluejay? I thought chickens were tough, lol. )

This is so helpful. I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing before I experience it. Coop too smelly to be near the house? Coop too vulnerable away away from the house? Will I be up at nights with a .22 rifle to defend my chickens? Oh my, our cats are going to be a problem? Do they need shade? Does the coop need all the latches and doors I see? Don't they eat grasshoppers, because we have tons?

I have a graded concrete slab I'm told was for pig pens. Is that something to think about using in the design?

I'm overwhelmed with ignorance.

If your coop has good ventilation and you scoop out the poop about once a week, it won't smell at all. A lot of people also use the deep litter method and that doesn't really smell either. You could use the concrete slab if you want but I wouldn't because you want good drainage or it will smell bad.

Now for security, make sure any holes are covered with some type of strong wire mesh and use good latches on any doors because raccoons can and will open them. Oh and your cats will only be a problem if you allow them to be a problem. It only took our barn cats getting sprayed with a hose once to learn that if they go near the chickens, they're gonna have a bad time.

Now as far as doors, you will need a door for them to go in and out of. We also attached the top of the nesting boxes to hinges so I don't have to climb in there to collect eggs and we also put a hatch on the side that opens so it's easier for me to clean out. You don't have to do all of this but it will make things a lot easier on you.

And lastly, if you let them free range during the day you won't have grasshoppers anymore

 

[aart]

My chooks are fully confined....too many predators around my place and I didn't want to assume that risk, I also didn't want chicken poop all over everywhere.
There's as many different ways to keep chickens as there are chicken keepers, it's your choice how you'd like to keep them.

Read thru the predator forum for an hour and then see what you think.

Here's one of my concerns justifying my mesh roofed run 2 days after letting the chooks out into the run.
The first but not the last time I've seen this, the chickens are all under the coop being very, very quiet.

 

[Jason38]

So there's no easy way to go this, is there?

I've been pouring over all the coops, and I have more questions than answers.

Do you shut the sliding for every night? If so, why so much attention paid to enclosing the run?

Why do the nests stick out the side of the building?

I can't fathom the necessity for a walk-in building.

Must it be insulated?

I know I'm obviously wrong, but it seems like the coop itself is overkill.

I still don't understand