NEED TO BUY A COOP!

[ChicKat]

110 F at worst but consistent 100+. I live in Texas.

I'm also in TX - and heat has been the battle of the summers for me. I haven't lost one to heat yet - but I had one near-death-experience and another close call my first year of keeping chickens down here (about an hour south and east of San Antonio)

Love your coop it looks really nice.

Quinlan - OMG - the home of Skidboot.... I love Skidboot and I think David Hartwig must be a genius with animals. I haven't seen anything quite like it anywhere else.

 

[bluefrog87]

I'm also in TX - and heat has been the battle of the summers for me. I haven't lost one to heat yet - but I had one near-death-experience and another close call my first year of keeping chickens down here (about an hour south and east of San Antonio)

Love your coop it looks really nice.

Quinlan - OMG - the home of Skidboot.... I love Skidboot and I think David Hartwig must be a genius with animals. I haven't seen anything quite like it anywhere else.

Lol at skidboot.

I feel your summer pain. I have the perfect yard for them for summer... All Shade due to a oak tree. I add a mister just to lower the temp a bit more. They are cheap on amazon for $10 or you can build it and have it be more flexible.

Ice alone in the water doesn't work.. 2 mins later it's melted so I reflect the heat with foil and insulate the water (kinda like winterizing a pipe but make it a white.It works like a cooler.


Also I don't feed corn in the heat of the day. The corn causes them to get warmer because the have to work harder to digest it

I keep a pot and ice on stand by for an Ice bath if I run into issues

 

[nikki1]

I live in western Washington, too. I've had chickens for 2 years, and we seem to be doing ok. Since it's rarely way hot, I'm doing pretty well with a couple windows for cross flow in summer, and some roofline vents year round. I use the plastic nest boxes they sell in feed stores, and I made little cut out doors as egg hatches. Love myself for putting vinyl flooring in the coop, as cleaning is a snap. You'll definitely need a heated waterer for winter, but an insulated coop isn't a must...we get chilly here, but not frigid. I have a walk in run with sand to make it easy to clean, and we have a crushed rock path aroun the whole thing so we aren't wading in mud.

Hope this helps.

 

[momofthehouse]

Do you mind posting a pic of your coop Nikki1? That is awesome you live around here. We are in Kitsap County so across the water from Seattle. Glad to know you like the linoleum floor. I had seen that mentioned along with the sand. What bedding do you use in your nest boxes?

 

[momofthehouse]

Thoughts on this coop? http://chickensaloon.com/the-ranch-backyard-chicken-coop/

 

[Beekissed]

Thoughts on this coop? http://chickensaloon.com/the-ranch-backyard-chicken-coop/

A death trap for chickens and the claims for stocking in that space are greatly exaggerated. I'd place no more than 2 chickens in that space, if that. The roosts are level with the nests, which means they will sleep in the nests instead. The roosts also take up all the floor space so there is nowhere to be except on a roost or in a nest. There is not enough ventilation and the whole thing is impractical for poultry use. Another member just asked about this very coop on another thread but was saved the expense of this useless thing after cancelling the order after many learned members critiqued this coop.

For this price you could build a coop and run that would keep 30 chickens happy, healthy and safe...and you could do it by yourself with minimal skills or tools.

 

[momofthehouse]

Ok what about this site ? http://www.horizonstructures.com/ the larger walk in coops.

 

[Beekissed]

Ok what about this site ? http://www.horizonstructures.com/ the larger walk in coops.

They have their square foot per bird way off...they are using commercial poultry biz specs on that and unless you want your birds to live like battery hens, you won't want to stock the recommended stock rates on these sites. They use those to sell more coops by making people think they are large enough to hold more chickens than that.

How many chickens are you wanting to get and what is your budget?

 

[Beekissed]

Scratch that .....saw your OP:

Quote:
You can retrofit a cute wooden shed from Lowe's for much less money than these coop sites and will have a much better coop in the long run. Deep litter is your best bet...the slide out boards for a coop big enough to house that many birds would be nigh impossible. You'll need more space for meaty birds as they grow differently, so separate feeders from the layers and low, very wide roosts or floor space for them with good, deep bedding/litter.

Deep litter is the best option for anyone: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/70/deep-litter-method

Raising meaties with layers: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...have-a-rooster-raising-50-cx-chicks-new-batch

You'll need a lot of ventilation in your coop, so if you get a shed from Lowe's or a high dollar coop from these rip off sites, you'll need to cut some good ventilation cut out to keep the birds healthy. You also need to consider predator proofing every little thing unless you will have good farm dogs out day and night to protect your coop and run.

For ten chickens that are not free ranged all the time...and even if they are and you get bad winters...you'll need at least an 8x10 on floor space. Even that won't be enough unless you have a very calm, social flock of breeds that are known for good temperaments. Err on the side of caution when it comes to space. The more experienced flock masters will tell you to try for 4-6 sq. ft. per standard fowl bird in the coop, 18 in. for each bird on the roost, one nest box per every 4 birds, 10 sq. ft per bird in the run.

 

[bluefrog87]

I disagree with beekissed on nest box numbers but I like slightly broody breeds. I go for a 1 hen :2 nest box ratio. I agree with 4sq ft per bird if not free ranged or in horrid 110 climate but since you said you were free ranging on 5 acres I think you could get away with a very tad smaller if wanted but not much.

Sq feet per bird depends on climate, their space during the day, size of bird and nature of the bird (laid back like an orpington or mean little a**holes like a rhode island red). I hate rhode island reds. I steer clear of them on personality alone. But the point is be sure to pick your breed or breed qualities before you pick the coop.

My opinion on horizon structures. You could get a nice coop. You'd have to ignore their math. But you could get a very nice coop and you'd be extremely happy with it. But, the base price on the one that could suit your needs is 3500 dollars. Probably closer to 4000-4500 dollars if you get the cleaner coop/electric features. And that was the only thing that killed it for me. Gosh darn not being rich and famous. Instead, I'm average and loved by family and friends.