I need help!

[bjeffries000]

Hi Everyone!

I currently don't have any hens as I need to have a coop built and approved by the city I live in, prior to owning hens. I am looking for a coop/run within a reasonable price range that meets these requirements:
"The hens shall be provided with a covered enclosure and must be kept in the covered enclosure or a fenced enclosure at all times. Such covered enclosure or coop shall contain at least four square feet of floor area per hen, and the fenced enclosure shall provide at least ten square feet of open area per hen; no coop shall exceed 120 square feet of floor area or exceed 12 feet in height."
I am hoping to have 3-5 hens so the coop itself would need to be 12-20 square feet and the run would need to be 30-50 square feet, from what I'm gathering. If I could just find a big enough coop, I could build a run no problem! I've searched high and low and can't find any coops that fit my needs. Please spam me with your coop ideas!

Thank you!
Brooke

 

[rosemarythyme]

You're unlikely to find a prefab coop that will fill that requirement. Alternatives would be something like a small shed, or a recycled playhouse, or a custom built unit.

 

[gtaus]

I've searched high and low and can't find any coops that fit my needs. Please spam me with your coop ideas!

It might help if you added a location. A coop I would build for northern Minnesota might be completely different than one for southern California, or Arizona.

Do you intend to build a coop yourself, or buy one? I am not a big fan of prefab chicken coops that are sold locally at our big box stores. Those prefab coops also "lie" about how many chickens you can house in the coop. Go by the 4 square feet per chicken ratio and you should be OK - buying a coop or building one yourself.

I don't think there are any perfect coops out there. If you can find a used coop for sale from someone who is no longer keeping chickens, that might be your best option. Buying a prefab coop has the advantage that you pretty much know what you will be getting. If you build your own coop, there are a lot of hidden costs in terms of tools, supplies, and of course, your labor.

You also did not mention your budget. For many of us, we work backwards from our budget to see what is possible. If budget is not a concern, you have many more options.

FWIW, if I was getting 3-5 chickens, I would be looking at coop plans based on a simple 4X8 sheet of plywood size frame. I prefer the elevated coops to get the birds off the ground. However, if you want to go into the coop, then maybe a converted shed would be a better option. Either way, think now about how you want to clean out your coop and chicken run. At my age, I don't want to be bending over to clean out anything.

I know a lady who built the chicken run only 3 feet high. It was plenty high enough for the chickens, but she had to basically crawl in the chicken run to clean it out or do anything else. It was miserable for her. Don't make that mistake.

If you built a small, elevated, 4X8 type chicken coop, you could put that inside a dog kennel made out of 6 foot high,10 foot long panels. Throw a simple bird netting on top of the kennel and you have protection from above. The elevated coop allows the chickens to go underneath the coop for shade on hot days, and you don't sacrifice any ground space for the coop. You can easily access both the chicken run and the coop from the dog kennel door.

I am also a fan of converting a shed into a coop, mainly because if you ever stop raising chickens, you still have a good shed for use. I love my mobile coop built on an old boat trailer frame, but it was designed only for chickens. If I ever stop having chickens, then I will have no second use for my coop.

If you plan on having a stationary coop and run, then plan ahead for when the chickens have torn out all your beautiful grass and leave you with nothing but dirt. I am a big fan of using wood chips at that point. In fact, I eventually turned my entire chicken run into a composting system and just throw wood chips, grass clippings, leaves, and about anything else organic into the run to compost. The chickens love to scratch and peck the compost all day long.

I suggest using a deep litter method for the coop. I primarily use about 8 inches of wood chips in my coop, and only clean it out in the fall before the snow falls, and then once again in the spring after the snow melts. The chickens will keep the wood chips pretty clean, and you can encourage them to turn over the chips by throwing some scratch on the floor. I get my wood chips for free from our county landfill, so it just makes good sense for me to use that. Also, wood chips are good for the composting. So, win-win.

I think no matter what you buy or build, you will eventually start thinking of improvements needed. So don't get too hung up about finding the perfect coop, because it does not exist. Hope to hear what you decide and then post some pics for us. Sharing is caring.

 

[MrLeeHo]

Am i the only one that is impressed with the city ordinances that require 4sq feet of coop and 10 sq ft of run per hen? Most cities are just concerned with building x number of feet away from neighbors, no roosters, etc...

I second all the comments above. If you do not want to build from scratch, a shed is the best solution imo and if you do not want to build a run, a dog kennel is also a great option. I would run 1/2 or 1/4 hard wire cloth around the bottom 3ft of the chain link to keep raccoons from reaching in and grabbing and an apron under for diggers.

 

[aart]

Am i the only one that is impressed with the city ordinances that require 4sq feet of coop and 10 sq ft of run per hen?

Eh, kinda.
Surprised and glad....tho that's still a minimum.

 

[MrLeeHo]

Eh, kinda.
Surprised and glad....tho that's still a minimum.

For sure, but most ordinances don't give a $&%* about the chickens, they are just worried about annoyed neighbors, noise, "unsightly" structures, etc

baby steps...

 

[Sally PB]

@gtaus said it really well.

You said 3-5... are you allowed to have more? A lot of people "think" they want "just a few" chickens, then realize how much fun/entertainment they provide, and want more. And more. Plan your coop and run size around getting more chickens. It probably will happen.

I applaud your thinking ahead! Lots of people get the chickens, then realize they need to buy/build a bigger coop than they thought.

There are tons of articles here on BYC about coops. There is even more knowledge right at your fingertips by asking a question, or two or twenty!

Welcome to the adventure!

 

[3KillerBs]

I agree that it's just about impossible to find a pre-fab coop that really works. Do you know anyone who could help you build your own?

Can you get a shed and convert it?

Where, in general, are you located? Climate matters. For example, My Little Monitor Coop is designed to meet all the minimums for 4 hens and is suited for a hot and/or wet climate but would have it's ventilation compromised in an area subject to deep snow piling up and blocking the monitor.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Am i the only one that is impressed with the city ordinances that require 4sq feet of coop and 10 sq ft of run per hen? Most cities are just concerned with building x number of feet away from neighbors, no roosters, etc...

Yeah I'm actually pretty pleased to see that. My ordinance calls for 1 sq ft of housing per bird, and 10' from property lines, that's it.

 

[KarynVA]

Mine requires an enclosed area not to exceed a total of 128 square feet including an enclosed structure containing a minimum of 4 square feet per hen and an open run area containing a minimum of 8 square feet per hen.