I need some advice before I buy a coop.

[cherrynberry]

Don't say your useless, I am sure it will work out . You should be able to atleast buy a coop for under 2,000 dollars, 1500 sounds about right, you can check out Jamaica cottage shop, they have pre-cuts or OverEZcoops (their coops are amazing/ Amish-built)

A cheaper option would be a small coop with a small run on OverEZ coops, also not the cheapest, but check Craigslist, for old coops, custom builders, etc.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Don't say your useless, I am sure it will work out . You should be able to atleast buy a coop for under 2,000 dollars, 1500 sounds about right, you can check out Jamaica cottage shop, they have pre-cuts or OverEZcoops (their coops are amazing/ Amish-built)

Poster is in Portugal. Shipping could be "challenging"

I was hoping they might be able to convert a chain link dog kennel into something meeting their needs at reasonable price without too much need for building experience or specialized tools.

 

[LaFleche]

No problems, I realize that sometimes the way I phrase things in English seem a bit blunt or even sarcastic when I don't mean it. I'm honestly just trying to understand why things are the way they are but I can't deny, I am disappointed to hear that I might not be able to get 10 chickens like I wanted to. So maybe I was indeed trying a bit to get my way around the problem and find "flaws" in your reasoning, so I apologize for that.

We had massive renovations a few years ago and our yard is now a lot smaller. Chickens also won't have access to the open field that the previous ones had. So while I know that the place we have now is not the best, I'd still like to get chickens, but I feel sad to think I can only get around 5, since I still wanted to try and make a bit of money off the eggs. But well. I'll have to rethink the whole thing. I tried building a lot of things in the past and it never went well, I'm absolutely useless. So maybe I'm gonna need to put this off and save money to hire someone to build a coop for me.

Either way, thanks for your insight. And thanks to everyone who shared their opinions.

You could get 5 bantams. There are some bantam breeds that lay quite well. Or get a specific bantam breed, 4 hens plus 1 rooster and sell hatching eggs. Or sell the chicks.

 

[cherrynberry]

Poster is in Portugal. Shipping could be "challenging"

I was hoping they might be able to convert a chain link dog kennel into something meeting their needs at reasonable price without too much need for building experience or specialized tools.

we did do that once, it would work, but the coop part would still be a little hard. Thats a great idea though! Its a lot cheaper

 

[cherrynberry]

You could get 5 bantams. There are some bantam breeds that lay quite well. Or get a specific bantam breed, 4 hens plus 1 rooster and sell hatching eggs.

Hatching eggs are a lot more expensive, but it would depend on the supply and demand in @pinkjellybeans area. That is a good idea! I know some bantam breeds are also really expensive...

 

[kurby22]

Damn, with those numbers I might not get any chickens at all then... I thought the space I have could at least be enough for 5 happy chickens. Now I'm sad. But thanks for the info.

Yeah I concur with everyone’s comments. But don’t let it stop you from getting 2-4 chickens. They’re awesome regardless of number! Maybe start with bantam breeds? Or 3 standard sized chickens that don’t get too large...I have a prefab coop that’s supposed to hold 8...if they are allowed to roam and forage during the day, a prefab as their sleeping/safe zone is okay for a starter coop in my opinion. I have 3 standards and two very small silkies...and they’re very happy in my coop, but they have a 8x10 ft area to roam during the day as well. Don’t get discouraged, chickens are super fun!

 

[3KillerBs]

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

4 square feet in the coop,​

10 square feet in the run,​

1 linear foot of roost,​

1/4 of a nest box,​

And 1 square foot of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.​

Other's have explained why the space guidelines are important -- and there are also times when you'll want more space rather than less (see this thread for a discussion: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ave-more-than-the-minimums-for-space.1462570/). And here is an excellent article about why these are guidelines rather than rules: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-much-room-do-chickens-need.66180/

Here is the math worked out and converted to meters for a flock of 10, standard-sized hens:

40 square feet -- 3.7 square meters -- in the coop.​

100 square feet -- 9.3 square meters -- in the run.​

10 linear feet -- 3 linear meters -- of roost.​

3 nest boxes.​

and 10 square feet -- .93 square meters -- ventilation, preferably located over the birds feet when sitting on the roost.​

I wish I could be more helpful beyond translating the numbers from English to metric but I don't have any idea what standard measurements are for lumber in your country (in the USA it comes in multiples of 4 feet), so I can't make suggestions about what size would be easiest for an inexperienced handyman to build.

In the US I'd recommend a 6-foot by 8-foot, walk-in coop -- which would be a little larger than the minimums but would be easier to build with fewer cuts and less waste -- and an 8-foot by 12-foot run (just slightly smaller than recommended but within range), or an 8-foot by 16-foot run (generously-large). The important thing is to minimize cuts and waste.

What we usually recommend to people with minimal building skills are:

A. Buy a wooden or metal shed the desired size and convert it,
B. Buy a chainlink dog kennel the desired size and convert it,
C. Make a Hoop Coop. https://www.backyardchickens.com/se...ries][0]=19&c[child_categories]=1&o=relevance

Each has it's pros and cons.

 

[Anime2lover]

Hello! I'm in the process of planning everything to build a coop and a run for some chickens. I want to sort all the details out before I finalize each decision and before I buy or build anything. Here's some info:

• Plan to get 10 chickens of different breeds
• The space for the coop + run (in meters) is roughly 10m x 4m.

I'm not a handy person, so I'll have to buy a coop and the best (and cheapest, money is tight) that I've seen is this one:

View attachment 2679391

On the description it says that it can fit 6 to 12 chickens, but I'd still like some opinions.
It has two egg nests and I plan to put a wooden pole across (in the middle of the coop) so the chickens will have more space to sleep on. My plan is for them to spend all day on the run so the coop would be their egg/sleeping place mostly. But I might not be able to open the door when they wake up, so they'll have to spend a few hours inside. My concern is mostly that. Do you think it's ok for them to spend a couple of hours inside even if it's a bit cramped? The run is not huge, so I think it's better to have a small coop and a larger run, right?

Thanks in advance!

Your best bet would be to build it yourself or pay someone to build what you want. The measurements of that coop you posted are not enough for 10 birds.

 

[rosemarythyme]

So maybe I'm gonna need to put this off and save money to hire someone to build a coop for me.

If you're really set on getting chickens you could get that coop and start small, no more than 2-3 standard sized birds in this case. That will at least let you get started. And over time save up money to hire someone to build something to your specifications - a shed builder or carpenter can easily make a building that would be a good safe home for your chickens, and a fence company can make a run. Nothing wrong with paying someone else to do the work.

Once you have the new big set up, you'll be ready to add more birds and you can always reuse the old small set up to raise chicks, isolate any ill birds, etc., so it won't go to waste.