I know the 2 square feet rule, but how small is REALLY too small?

[amgreen1980]

You mean the metal building? This is what I am looking at...to convert. http://stlouis.craigslist.org/for/2349904730.html

Ms.Frizzle :

The nice thing about a small coop is that when you do upgrade, you can sell it, or keep it to seperate new chickens, house chicks, or keep breeds seperate. Do you have a link for what you plan on purchasing?​

 

[Judy]

8x8 would be great, and is a smart use of material sizes, too. And they can get by with less in warm weather if they have a yard or good sized run; it's when the snow keeps them inside that they really need the indoor space.

There are pros and cons to a metal building but it will certainly work; my coop is entirely metal.

 

[GarlicEater]

Quote:
It means I could have 25+ birds, but right now I have 8. I may be getting 10 more but I think some will be roos and they'll go into a separate pen (perhaps a hot one lined with Teflon

)

 

[amgreen1980]

To prove my point, my dh just emailed me and asked what I thought about https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2985 coop! LOL He seems to think that we can build it on a reasonable budget, I guess we have shingles and siding leftover from building our house. We shall see, this is definitely the type of building I had in mind originally. The test will be if he can get it up in the next 4ish weeks since I have 2 week olds in my basement!

 

[GiddyMoon]

One of the writers of the book Chickens for Dummies, who also owns this site evidently, says 2-3 per bird.

 

[swatskee]

Quote:
Take that budget, and double it! Trust me!!!

 

[amgreen1980]

Quote:
Take that budget, and double it! Trust me!!!

This is what I am afraid of!

He says he is working on a materials list. We do have access to purchase rough cut lumber, so that might save us a bit of $$.

 

[spiritdance]

The biggest issue with metal is that it "weeps" in winter and can contribute to frostbite. If you get metal, plan on lining it as soon as possible with some kind of insulating material to prevent this. But if you're thinking 8X8, ready-made fence panels from HD or Lowe's are easy to work with. I once made a quick coop out these for around $200, and it was easy to expand later by just backing the screws out on the gable end, moving that section back, adding two more on the sides, and extending the roof. I glued and screwed OSB (well painted) to the inside of the fence panels between runners for added strength/insulation. We lifted the panels off the ground about 6 inches, attached hardware cloth to the bottoms and buried it, lined the inside bottom with landscape timbers then backfilled inside with road base and sand to raise the coop floor, prevent flooding, and promote drainage. We set the fence posts to come above the panels by 12", set 6" "top plates" on the outside tops, and mounted the rafters to that. We filled in the gap with more hardware cloth and left it open for upper ventilation. The whole thing was trimmed out with 1X3 utility boards for a more finished look. I cut hardware cloth "windows" in the gable ends for additional summer ventilation. We also made the door "dutch style" (using part of the front panel and an extra fence post) and inset a large hardware cloth area on the top half. We mounted nest boxes, put in roosts, and the birds were happy as could be.

 

[cptbahama]

Here I am going through all this worry, and I wouldn't doubt if my husband has plans for a big fancy coop in mind. He is one of those that tends to go a bit overboard with things. Hopefully I will have some pictures of whatever we do to share later!

Yes.. I started planning with a 5 x 8 coop. When I started laying the footprint, it quickly changed to 5 x 10 and then right on to 6 x 12. And when I started erecting the frame my wife's reaction was "omg I didn't know you had something this big in mind..."
I think I did go a bit overboard but I am so glad now. Don't tell anyone but... I even wish I went bigger...​

 

[trilyn]

Quote:
It means I could have 25+ birds, but right now I have 8. I may be getting 10 more but I think some will be roos and they'll go into a separate pen (perhaps a hot one lined with Teflon

)

Some of mine went that way....dang tasty for me!! Not so much for them perhaps...lol!