My flock just outgrew my coop.

[danceswithronin]

I would not attempt to add on to that coop, I would build one large enough for all the your birds.

Where in this world are you located?
View attachment 1741424

North Alabama, Zone 7b. So it's very warm here a majority of the time - we rarely get snow or below-freezing temperatures. It was super hot when I got my first set of chickens (90-100F+) and they're silkies, so it took them seven months to even figure out how to use the coop consistently, they were just sleeping out in the run before that. It's a completely netted-in run and is protected by three dogs so I wasn't really worried about possums or anything getting them, so I just let them figure it out on their own.

I have all of the tools to do a large carpentry project like this, just don't have much experience with that sort of thing. I'll do some research on redoing the whole coop though, I think it would be easier than building an addition and I want something a bit more sturdy than that white coop anyway. The price was right but it's fairly flimsy.

 

[danceswithronin]

Sorry to tell you this, but the chicken coop and run is way too small for large breed chickens.If you plan on keeping them mainly inside for the winter, you are probably going to need a set up that is at least 10 times bigger than that for eight chickens. I don’t know what to suggest other than to build something a lot bigger.

Yeah I know the coop is definitely too small, but I actually don't use the attached wire run on the coop for the chickens (except as kind of a "front porch" area for them) I have a run built out of wrought iron fencing (with more avian netting tied into the wrought iron all the way around so they can't stick their heads/body parts through the fencing) panels that is about 20 feet by 24 feet. So about 480 square feet minus the area for the coop itself.

I don't know how I overlooked the size of the coop when I was ordering more chickens even as I took the run space into account, I'm an idiot. I could have had this built out already if I'd thought ahead, I had weeks and weeks to prepare. :/

 

[azygous]

Good decision. Now you can build it the way you want it.

When I added on to my coop, my priorities included plenty of space for the present chickens and room to double my flock if I was so inclined. Also plenty of head room for me to stand upright and a people door tall enough for me to enter without hunching over. Remember, you aren't getting younger and someday you may have the kind of cranky back that too many years under the influence of gravity inflicts on many of us.

 

[danceswithronin]

Time for a new coop.
Enjoy your new birds! We have Black Jersey Giants. The male is just over a year and around 11 pounds, but not yet fully grown. He is a big boy, and the female is also large, but less so than the male (as expected) Here he is recently, next to some normal sized chickens (no recent pics of the female though), and the coop is elevated about 2.5' off the ground. The first pic, it is a Silver Laced Wyandotte behind him, and in the second pic it is a Frost White Legbar next to him:
View attachment 1741441 View attachment 1741442

That is one gorgeous boy! I love my little BJG so far, I bought her for my dad because he was very wistful last year about how all he wanted was a black chicken and I didn't get any, so I got one just for him, lol.

 

[danceswithronin]

So that is what I suggest you do. Prefab tool sheds make ideal chicken coops. You only need to cut a couple windows into one, add vents at the top of the walls under the eaves, and a pop hole chicken entrance, and kit out the inside with perches and a few nesting boxes, and you're in business. You will be a lot happier doing it this way.

This is a great suggestion, I'll check at Lowe's and Home Depot and see if I can't find something that'll work nicely. Thanks!

 

[pennyJo1960]

If you choose Metal building home depot 400 or so 10 x 12 go big or go home
easy modification

 

[danceswithronin]

If you choose Metal building home depot 400 or so 10 x 12 go big or go home
easy modification

Not bad at all, I can afford that!

 

[Acre4Me]

North Alabama, Zone 7b. So it's very warm here a majority of the time - we rarely get snow or below-freezing temperatures. It was super hot when I got my first set of chickens (90-100F+) and they're silkies, so it took them seven months to even figure out how to use the coop consistently, they were just sleeping out in the run before that. It's a completely netted-in run and is protected by three dogs so I wasn't really worried about possums or anything getting them, so I just let them figure it out on their own.

I have all of the tools to do a large carpentry project like this, just don't have much experience with that sort of thing. I'll do some research on redoing the whole coop though, I think it would be easier than building an addition and I want something a bit more sturdy than that white coop anyway. The price was right but it's fairly flimsy.

You can likely make due with an easy construction project of a 2 or 3 sided coop. I've also seen coops for the south that are like a rectangular shed (with solid walls and roof), but with the lower 3 feet completely open, only covered by HWC for predator protection and the roosts were up in the covered wall area, but no floor (max ventilation). With heat and humidity you will want max ventilation. They wear feathers, so any kind of cold you get in AL is unlikely to cause them any problems. Of course, your microclimate will indicate where and how the 2 or 3 sided coop should be placed. It should shelter from the prevailing winds, and offer the ability to add some temporary wind protection if you are going to get high winds from another direction. It should keep them high and dry, with plenty of roost space for how ever many chickens you could foresee having in your flock.

Good Luck!

 

[danceswithronin]

Of course, your microclimate will indicate where and how the 2 or 3 sided coop should be placed. It should shelter from the prevailing winds, and offer the ability to add some temporary wind protection if you are going to get high winds from another direction. It should keep them high and dry, with plenty of roost space for how ever many chickens you could foresee having in your flock.

The current coop faces east and stands on the northern side of the house beneath two pear trees located in the chicken run itself, which aren't that great fruit-wise but do offer some needed shade in the summer. I didn't really have any issues with the chickens being either too hot or too cold there last year. I did have an issue with rain getting blown into the open side of the coop and wetting the straw in the bottom of it (which made mucking the bottom of the coop a royal pain in the ass last time I cleaned up after a rainstorm) so I'll take that into account in designing my new one.

 

[Acre4Me]

Not bad at all, I can afford that!

Just be aware that sheds require some definite modifications to have proper ventilation. Being in the south, you will want a lot of ventilation, yet keep birds free from drafts. Also, not sure I would use a metal building unless it could be placed in a shady area - but in reality, you're in the south ...in AL...in a hot and humid climate...so any structure will benefit from being placed in the shade, if at all possible!