I'm confused!

[nachoqtpie]

So, I have been doing a lot of research on coops because we will be building one soon. (We only have ducks right now). I've been looking at pre-built coops that you can buy at places like My Pet Chicken, and other places. I want our coop to be big enough for around 8 chickens. We're planning on 6 hens and a roo tho. The "8 chicken" coop on MPC is only 3x4 and the other is roughly 3.5x4.5. I've also read that you need to have anywhere from 2-4 sq ft per chicken.

We're going to be getting Easter Eggers, so they are a medium weight bird. How big should my coop be??? I don't want to make it too small and have them be picking on each other, but, we don't have a super huge yard either!

 

[Ridgerunner]

We can’t have an EasyGardening forum member confused. That’s not allowed.

Space questions are hard to answer because so much depends on your specific conditions and how you manage them. I don’t like those coops usually offered for sale. I think you can usually build something better less expensively. They also tend to say they can house a lot more chickens than I’d want to put in there. They also often have a lot of gingerbread on them that is not really necessary. They are usually pretty cute though.

Commercial operations have proven you can house chickens in 2 square feet or so, but you have to follow certain techniques to make that work. You may have to clip their beaks to keep them from eating each other. Or maybe build each one its own individual cage to keep them separated.

There is also a totally humane way to house them that tight. Set it up so they are not locked in there during their waking hours. Just use it as a place to sleep and maybe lay eggs. Make sure the pop door is open whenever they are awake and they have more space to go to, whether that is a run or maybe even free range. Space it the key. It does not matter if that space is in the coop, coop and run, or some other way. It just has to be available.

I don’t like giving hard and fast numbers for space because there are so many variables that go into it. The rule of thumb used on here a lot for 4 square feet in the coop along with 10 square feet in the run for each chicken will keep most of us out of trouble most of the time and cover a lot of different management techniques. With that you don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn every day. You can even sleep in some on the weekends. But you do need to let them out to the run at some time.

Your climate comes into play too. How often is your weather going to keep them trapped in the coop? Mine don’t mind rain or cold, but they don’t like a cold wind in the winter. They don’t like snow either, but after a couple of days they get used to it and will go out for a walk in it, especially if the weeds and grass are poking through and they can get something to eat. Having a sheltered place to block the wind and maybe keep snow off the ground in even a small area can really help.

If you decide to build your own, I’ll mention that a lot of building materials come in 4’ and 8’ dimensions. You’ll want some overhang on your roof so that makes it a bit harder, but if you plan on the 4’ and 8’ dimensions, you can usually build a cost efficient building.

Another possibility is to get one of those buildings from Lowe’s or Home Depot. Those can make a pretty good coop. All you need to add is a roost, nest boxes, ventilation, and a pop door.

I like having extra room. I find that with extra room I have to work less hard. Think poop management for example. You’ll want to catch that for your compost pile, so you probably want a droppings board, so maybe working less hard is not a huge incentive for you, but I also find that with a bit of extra space, I have more flexibility in how I manage them. If you ever plan to integrate more chicks or have a broody raise chicks with the flock, the extra space makes that a lot easier.

For a rooster and 6 hens, I would not go smaller than a 4’ x 8’, and frankly I’d go with an 8’ x 8’ walk-in but I’m in a different situation than you. You can make the 4’ x 8’ an elevated coop, just make sure you can easily clean it and can get to every place inside. Any bigger, I’d go with a walk-in. There are just too many times I want access to the inside.

To sum up, there is no one right answer for everyone as to how much space you need to provide or where you provide it. You can make a lot of different things work. The smaller it is, the harder you probably have to work.

Good luck!!!

 

[nachoqtpie]

Hmmmmm..... Well it looks like my best bet is to go with a 4x8 raised coop then? Which was my initial idea.

I think I have it worked out in my head. 4'x8', raised 2'. Since my entire run will be 8x24, I have the run space, but I also have 4 ducks. I'm going to pea gravel the area next to the "pond" (which will probably end up being a kiddie pool) so that it will be a little easier to keep that area a bit cleaner. (Hopefully... LOL) If it does become a problem later on, I can still build a barrier to separate them.

My idea is to butt the long end of the coop with the short side of the wall to the back of the enclosure so the rain (what little we get) runs OUT of the enclosure. Put in pop up windows in all 4 sides, and to make the front almost completely openable! I would put the nesting boxes on the one side and roosting on the other and maybe put feed and water in there for them as well. I haven't made up my mind about that yet. I could possibly put it underneath the coop? That might save me having to build an overhang. I may also put 2 plexiglass windows in the front as well to let light in. Altho... I'm kinda perplexed about how I would put the plexiglass windows in without leaving screws or bolts sticking out on the inside.

We don't get a ton of rain, average low is around 35 so very little snow and if it does it's usually gone in a day or two. I'm not even sure that I'm going to close them in the coop at night... but we will see I guess. My neighbors have chickens and they simply put them into a covered dog kennel at night. I don't think they even have a coop at all!

And RR.... what is this "sleep in" that you speak of? I'm up by 6am no matter what day or time of the year it is.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Well it looks like my best bet is to go with a 4x8 raised coop then?

That should work well. It's all in how you manage them.


I think I have it worked out in my head. 4'x8', raised 2'.

How high is your wheelbarrow? You might want to get it under the opening to make cleanout easier. Make sure you can get the wheelbarrow through the gate,


My idea is to butt the long end of the coop with the short side of the wall to the back of the enclosure so the rain (what little we get) runs OUT of the enclosure.

Yes you want rain to run away from the run. Very important.


and maybe put feed and water in there for them as well. I haven't made up my mind about that yet. I could possibly put it underneath the coop?

Either inside or under works. It just needs to stay dry.


That might save me having to build an overhang.

I'll give a link to an article on ventilation. You need lots of ventilation in the summer and plenty of ventilation in the winter. The easiest way to get really good ventilation is to leave the top of your walls open for 6" or more and cover that with hardware cloth to stop climbing predators. An overhang keeps rainwater out. I'd leave that open year round. And make your coop high enough that you can keep them below these openings when they are sleeping. Then it really helps in the summer to have ventilation down low where or below they are roosting, but something you can close off in the winter.

Pat’s Big Ol' Ventilation Page
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-VENTILATION


I may also put 2 Plexiglas windows in the front as well to let light in. Altho... I'm kinda perplexed about how I would put the Plexiglas windows in without leaving screws or bolts sticking out on the inside.

So many different ways! Cut your opening between two studs (probably 2x4 studs) and put in a horizontal piece of 2x4 top and bottom of the opening. You now have a 2x4 all around to tie into. Put hardware cloth on the inside of the coop to stop climbing predators. On the outside attach your Plexiglas and make it removable so you have ventilation in the summer. You can have bolts sticking through and use butterfly nuts to hold it on or maybe hinge it at the top and swing it out to help keep rain out. Or make a sliding door out of it.

And RR.... what is this "sleep in" that you speak of? I'm up by 6am no matter what day or time of the year it is.

You don't call that sleeping in? For most of my adult life I was at work by 6:00 or 6:30 though I admit now that I'm retired I sometimes sleep that late. If you travel or sometimes have to get someone else to take care of them for you, how much easier will it be to tell them to do it by 9:00 Saturday morning as opposed to 6:00 in the morning? This is another example of how extra space gives you flexibility.

 

[Kjf18]

We have a 4x8 coop and 8 chicks (8 weeks old). We raised the coop 30 inches. That makes it about waist high for me, and easy to clean (the back side opens up). It also gives the chicks plenty of room underneath. Also, it is high enough to make cleaning the run under the coop easier. I hinged the screening along one of the 8 foot sides so I can raise it up for access to the run area and easier cleaning.

KJF