Moving = bigger coop

[Erin80]

We currently live on 2 acres. My coop is about 36 square feet. We just bought 50 acres and are moving and building a house.....my husband is going to custom build me a shed for the chickens, any size I want. I’m thinking 10x10. Does anyone have a coop this size that could share pictures? It will also have a huge run attached as where we are moving there are way more predators than there are here (7 acres of forest, and our house will be cut into that as will my coop), so the girls won’t be free ranging. I have 9 hens now, but am excited to be able to have more. I think I’d like the coop to be divided in half.....like a 2 in 1....as I know dynamics can be weird at times.

 

[Sweetheat]

There are some really awesome pictures on Pinterest it even google if you search converting shed to chicken coop! Sounds like a dream! Very exciting.

 

[Alaskan]

We currently live on 2 acres. My coop is about 36 square feet. We just bought 50 acres and are moving and building a house.....my husband is going to custom build me a shed for the chickens, any size I want. I’m thinking 10x10. Does anyone have a coop this size that could share pictures? It will also have a huge run attached as where we are moving there are way more predators than there are here (7 acres of forest, and our house will be cut into that as will my coop), so the girls won’t be free ranging. I have 9 hens now, but am excited to be able to have more. I think I’d like the coop to be divided in half.....like a 2 in 1....as I know dynamics can be weird at times.

Since you are starting from scratch...

1. Spend some time looking through the coop pages on this site. The coops are segregated by size, so look at the large coops.

2. With a bunch of trees, a wire top run might give you nightmares with all of the leaves falling on the wire. I would suggest a solid roof, and nicely sloped so nothing gets stuck on top.

3. I really like being able to have chickens in my garden at the start of the season to eat weed seeds... then at the end of the season to clean up whatever you have left. Also, if the chicken run is up against the garden, you can toss them the weeds as you weed.

And, I have my big coop connected to my greenhouse. The chickens get the greenhouse all winter for extra space.

4. I think poop shelves are fantastic, I highly recommend. Also, you can make a removable wall that can close off the underside of the poop shelf. Then that "underneath the poop shelf" area can become a spot for a broody, or some chicks.

5. If you list your general location, people can give more specific advice... sooooo... do you get 5 feet of snow? Or southern Nevada heat?

 

[TK421]

Whatcha thinking about doing? Do you want a place to raise babies, or for a mama to raise chicks? Have you ever considered a little quarantine area? If I built from scratch, I’d have 2 or more Identical setups for flocks of different ages Or the ability to grow meat birds. I’d also want a little work/storage area for equipment.