I need your opinions...tell me whatcha think?

[havi]

I think DH has done fallen off his rocker!

He asked me today how I plan on setting up my new coop for my bantams. I thought this was heading for trouble, as he gripped soooo much about adding just two sheets of tin and two doors to an already existing coop frame. When I told him my plan he asked why I didnt just give my new chickens the old chicken coop and build a new and bigger one for the older(six 6mon olds) chickens.

I almost fell outta my chair. So we decided without taking up all the backyard for my chickens and garden we came up with this.

With the inside looking like:

The two areas would be divided so the big ones couldnt get to the smaller ones. Plus about 3 ft being open in the middle for me to do whatever it is I need. Storing food and whatnot..

 

[havi]

Here are some concerns I have:

1) I want something to be tall enough for me to walk in without having to bend over. (Im 5'10)

2) I need to save as much money as I can and want to use as much of the material that I buy as I can. No wasting!

3) Instead of dividing up the coop and having seprate runs, can I just have the 8x8 coop and one huge run? Let all the chickens room together?

4) Would 8x8 fit 6 full size birds plus 6 bantams?

5) I read somewhere for space its:
bantams: 1 sq ft for the inside and 4 sq ft for outside
standard: 2 sq ft for the inside and 10 sq ft for outside
(that seems kinda small for the inside)

I have six 6 month old full size chickens: 2 RIR, 2 BO, & 2 EE
I also have six 4 day old banties: 2 blue cochins, 2 light brahma, 2 frizzle cochins

 

[cmom]

I think it will be fine, but I'm no expert. Are you going to keep them in the run or are you going to free range them any?

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
So, make it tall enough

2) I need to save as much money as I can and want to use as much of the material that I buy as I can. No wasting!

I would suggest making your dimensions such that the exterior siding in multiples of sheets o' plywood, then -- this means the interior will be slightly less than 8x8, and the lengths of the wall sills will be two-thicknesses-of-plywood less than 8'. You end up trimming off leetle bits of 2x4s but it beats having to splice in long narrow extra pieces for the siding.

3) Instead of dividing up the coop and having seprate runs, can I just have the 8x8 coop and one huge run? Let all the chickens room together?

Just depends on what you want, I guess.

4) Would 8x8 fit 6 full size birds plus 6 bantams?

Sure, as long as they get along well enough.

If you *do* divide the interior, I would suggest making sure that the doors from the 'people part' into the two pens are not placed any further back than your diagram shows. Reason being, if you ever suddenly discovered <ahem, cough> that you had some more chickens and needed space for them too, you could squish all your storage into the front half of the 'people space' and make the rear half a very small pen, maybe with a run going out the back of the coop. Whereas, if the doors to the two pens are near the BACK of the 'people space', you could not do this.

Have fun,

Pat​

 

[walkswithdog]

Quote:
<alarm blaring in background>
ENABLER ALERT!!! ENABLER ALERT!!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!! Duck and Cover!!!

 

[havi]

I hope to be able to free range them one day, but for now they would have to be in a inclosed run and coop. I think DH has had it with all the chickens. First I wanted just one, then that turned into 6. He told me NO MORE! But of course..I snuck in 6 banties.

It would be easier and cheaper if I could just keep them all in one run and coop. Instead of dividing up the coop into two parts.

I can slowly introduce the two groups and they be fine together.

Has anyone else put banties with standard size birds and them be okay?


I think this whole site is an enabler.

Chickens..theyre like chips, you cant have just one.

 

[DulcyDoll]

I've had banties and standards together with no problem, a pecking order has to be established at first, but other than that, no problems. Maybe you could seperate the coop and run you have already for a few weeks to let the older birds see that the new ones belong and then open the door one day and see how it goes.