Looking to raise chickens and build first coop

[Azmomm]

 

[robcam817]

Have you looked at the prefab storage sheds that Costco sells? They had one set up inside their store and it was really cool just like a little house almost. They come set it up for you also, then you would just have to Dr. up the inside and the windows and possibly the doors to make it into a chicken coop. I saw the prices on what you were looking at and I think the Costco one was only around $1000 if that and like I said it was like a little house.

I'll deff give them a look, thank you.

 

[robcam817]

View attachment 1739361

Great, thanks!

 

[robcam817]

So if I'm gettin it all correctly, if my plan is to have 24 birds I should have a coop with 240 square feet, correct? There will also be a run and can free range but we do get alot of snow and it's pretty cold 4-6 months out of the year. I imagine there will be times when they won't want to leave the coop so all 24 birds will be in there for some time. Sound right?

 

[Fishkeeper]

You need 4 square feet per bird in the coop, and 10 square feet per bird in the run. The coop is the chicken house part that has the nest boxes and the roosts, where they spend the night, and the run is the fenced-in area that they spend the day in.
So, close, but no. For 24 birds, you need about 92 square feet of coop, 240 square feet of run. You can hang tarps on the run to provide wind protection in winter.

Also, be sure to pick cold-hardy breeds. Ones without large combs and wattles, or they'll get frostbite and the combs/wattles/etc will die and fall off. Look into what breeds are happy in the cold, because there are plenty. Don't get gamefowl, they can't take the cold at all. Too much leg to lose heat through.

 

[robcam817]

You need 4 square feet per bird in the coop, and 10 square feet per bird in the run. The coop is the chicken house part that has the nest boxes and the roosts, where they spend the night, and the run is the fenced-in area that they spend the day in.
So, close, but no. For 24 birds, you need about 92 square feet of coop, 240 square feet of run. You can hang tarps on the run to provide wind protection in winter.

Also, be sure to pick cold-hardy breeds. Ones without large combs and wattles, or they'll get frostbite and the combs/wattles/etc will die and fall off. Look into what breeds are happy in the cold, because there are plenty. Don't get gamefowl, they can't take the cold at all. Too much leg to lose heat through.

Gonna go with Australorps for the reasons you mentioned, (and others). Ok, so I'll just need to figure out how to keep the run free of snow. Can the run be made out of chain link? I know the coop needs to be predator proof with hardware cloth wire. The run though will have to support a pretty good snow load.

 

[Fishkeeper]

Chain link is too big. Chickens will put their heads through it and potentially get stuck, and predators can very easily reach in.
I'd look into how other people handle snow. Some people just put solid, sloped roofs on their runs. You can also use bird netting as the roof of the run, and then the snow will fall through the netting into the run. Shouldn't hurt your birds, I don't think, plenty of breeds have been developed in places that get a ton of snow.

 

[fldiver97]

@robcam817 .... Agree with Fishkeeper. Nothing wrong providing more that
4 square feet indoor space but you want to have at least 4 per chicken. I live in Wisconsin so I have learned how to deal best with winter for my gals. Get hardy breeds. My chickens will go outside year round but..... they don’t like deep snow so I have to shovel a path for them from the coop/run to the back of the house. They like to hang out there behind dense evergreens. Some days are so bad they will not go out - period. They will however go out in the roofed walk in run daily. I use clear plastic sheeting to cover the HC cloth all around, leave some open space at the top for ventilation. Light can get in, wind and snow are kept out. They are content, have big branches for roosting in the run, lots of dry leaves and a space for a dust bath. They have enough space and distractions in winter, we have never had issues with pecking.

 

[robcam817]

@robcam817 .... Agree with Fishkeeper. Nothing wrong providing more that
4 square feet indoor space but you want to have at least 4 per chicken. I live in Wisconsin so I have learned how to deal best with winter for my gals. Get hardy breeds. My chickens will go outside year round but..... they don’t like deep snow so I have to shovel a path for them from the coop/run to the back of the house. They like to hang out there behind dense evergreens. Some days are so bad they will not go out - period. They will however go out in the roofed walk in run daily. I use clear plastic sheeting to cover the HC cloth all around, leave some open space at the top for ventilation. Light can get in, wind and snow are kept out. They are content, have big branches for roosting in the run, lots of dry leaves and a space for a dust bath. They have enough space and distractions in winter, we have never had issues with pecking.

Much thanks. I dig a path for my dogs but it never occurred to me I could do it for the chickens. Can you post a few pics or vid of your coop/run?

 

[fldiver97]

Chain link alone is risky.... Many use it, I had a 5x15 dog run with the tarp type roof once. Due to snow I had to reinforce the frame for the roof and occasionally use a roof rake to deal with the snow. Doable but not ideal. I have also used poly type roofing. My current coop and run have metal roof.
I reinforced (covered) the chain link with a couple of ft tall solid siding on 2 sides and HC cloth on the other sides