i think we build the coop too small. newbie dilemma

[ECBW]

Your 4x4.5 should be ideal for 6 birds, snug for 8.

But that winter temp and wind chill... brrrrrr.

 

[ailurophile23]

For what it is worth, coops are never big enough - I think it is part of the chicken math equation that we all have trouble with.

I would think that if you could devise a way to contain sand in the run in the winter, that would be easy to keep clean and not so smelly with daily scooping of both the run and the coop (could use sand or pine shavings inthe coop). You might have to consider a way to vent the garage even in the winter - a small fan blowing air out should help keep the moisture and smell down. I would also vote for a larger run if possible but larger likely means harder to move. If you cannot make more square footage on the ground, utilize the vertical space with branches and roosts at various levels to give them more to do. Good luck!

 

[cpwhip]

we did the same thing and started out with this coop 3 weeks ago and soon realized its way too small for 8 chicks let alone 8 full grown hens "red sexlinks"which they will be soon.

we ended up with this over the weekend and added a 16x22 foot run lol into chickens a whole 3 weeks and already have 2 coops
as you can see its not finnish but it will be soon.

maybe the easiest solution would be to add on to what you already have.

 

[Picotine]

Thank you Raen for posting my pics

we did some more work on it today but ended up packing gears because it look like it was gonna rain but i guess it's just clouds without rain so we'll go back at it soon. the thing that pull out at the bottom has now a meshing because we're going to build a sewage tray to slide under. the roosting bars will be placed above the sewage tray.

https://lh5(dot)googleusercontent(d...AAAAAAAABaY/TS7V0ZNEwcQ/s640/IMG_2921(dot)JPG
https://lh4(dot)googleusercontent(d...AAAAAAAABaU/Wr_srwFvWgw/s640/IMG_2908(dot)JPG

i'm quite humbled by the pictures some of you posted on here... they are very beautiful/luxurious compared to mine *blush*


we did talk it over about size, extension or run size and we agreed on doubling the lenght of the run. so it would be 4' x 16'.

we're still thinking about putting the whole thing in the garage for the winter. would it help if we put a big tarp over the run? i'm not sure why i would need to add ventilation to the garage though. it has no door, just a big 12x8 opening.

we'll probably put some plywood on top of the run for the summer so they can go out even when it rain.

wish our funds weren't so limited. hubby's thinking about building an other one like this one, but only next year. i thought about building one out of round logs cause we got plenty of trees out back but hubby doesn't think it would work.

 

[surfchicken72]

yup.... I have 5 girls in a 4x8 (see my BYC page link for pics.......)
and I feel it's too small for THEM.......

 

[farmer_lew]

Quote:
Nice coop, but way too small for 12 birds. Not enough roosting space. As they get older, they are going to want to roost not sleep in the nest boxes. The hens only use them for laying, and they all want to use the same one, anyway. At least my girls are that way. If you are going to put the coop in the garage, and you don't use it for anything else, enclose it for your main coop. Build a lightweight portable run for when they are in the yard. It can be built hoop-style using 2x6's for the base frame and PVC pipe for the hoops. Cover it with poultry net, or hardware cloth, and presto...a portable run for the yard. By enclosing the garage you will provide them plenty of space during winter. Make sure to put in some ventilation to keep odors down, and fresh air circulating. Don't forget the roosts, as well. Good luck, and let us know what you do and how it turns out!

 

[Picotine]

Nice coop, but way too small for 12 birds. Not enough roosting space. As they get older, they are going to want to roost not sleep in the nest boxes. The hens only use them for laying, and they all want to use the same one, anyway. At least my girls are that way. If you are going to put the coop in the garage, and you don't use it for anything else, enclose it for your main coop. Build a lightweight portable run for when they are in the yard. It can be built hoop-style using 2x6's for the base frame and PVC pipe for the hoops. Cover it with poultry net, or hardware cloth, and presto...a portable run for the yard. By enclosing the garage you will provide them plenty of space during winter. Make sure to put in some ventilation to keep odors down, and fresh air circulating. Don't forget the roosts, as well. Good luck, and let us know what you do and how it turns out!

thanks

that coop is supposed to be light and movable, heh! i didn't think they would sleep in the nesting box and knowing they need fewer, we're going to reclaim the first floor... we still have to put threshold in front of them and the 2 roosting bars are going above the hardware cloth/sewage tray. my mom in law just called and she's coming to help build with us on Friday but since this one is almost done, hubby might decide to pull the credit card and buy the supplies to build the second one.

although he realized that he also have to put decking and stairs for the backdoor's deck

we still need to put the lawn tractor, snow blower, BBQ and a few other things in the garage. there's also some lumber and a bunch of old windows stored in there. i wouldn't want to have everything covered in chicken poop. even 1/3 to half the garage would be plenty big for them but hubby is not sold on that idea. i'm still waiting for him to build me a green house too.​

 

[teach1rusl]

Since you guys do get so much snow, if you're sticking to your current coop, I would not keep more than four birds. However, if you're talking about converting half your garage to a coop, that would be different...

 

[Picotine]

Quote:
yeah, the only problem is that hubby don't want to convert the garage like that. he's hoping that we can just put the coops and runs in the garage, throw a tarp over the runs to make it a bit warmer. with an extra roosting bar or 2 in the run... would we be able to keep more chicken per coop/run that way?

 

[Duramaxgirl]

With chickens sometimes you have to find out what works for you. I've had both to many birds in my coop and also way over 4 sq foot per bird. I learned that having them sqished in the coop causes them to peck and fight. I've had to deal with some of them getting pecked so bad that I had to quarantine and heal them back up. In my opinion keeping them at least at 3 sq feet per bird is the minimum 4 sq feet being better. Its just not worth it craming them in there and seeing them not do good. Chickens love to peck and will kill each other.
Also you may want to try and pick the more docile breeds. Like orpingtons, wyandottes or something like them. Barred rocks are good choice to