New coop and run post/question on fencing for chickens & cat

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Okay so what do you guys think of either of these coops?

My dad thinks 4x8 is really big and it should be 4x6 but idk, I always heard you could fit 8 max in a 4x8 one and I have 8 so thought it had to be that? But I have also heard if all they do is sleep and lay eggs in it then it is fine. But mine spend a lot of time in their current 3x3 or less coop. But my thoughts were that that may be because the run doesn't have a roof or walls and is 6x12 so in inclement weather they stay in. The new run will be as wide/long as the coop so 8 feet and at least 50 feet long and at least half will be roofed and possibly add tarps/walls in inclement weather so that is a MASSIVE improvement so they'll probably be outside more and then the coop size won't matter so much? I wanted 8x8 cause they're in it all the time but that is HUGE and even 4x8 is way more room than they have now. Plus they might free range. So maybe it doesn't matter as much? Right now they also have no floor space cause the roosts are only a few inches off the ground so when they hang out inside for the day they just sit on the roosts.

SO.

Thoughts on these????

http://www.clarkfarmbusiness.com/Chicken-Coops.html

https://www.meyerhatchery.com/productinfo.a5w?prodID=NECP

And for the second one I'm thinking I might just buy the plans? I really love it. But also do you think it's possible to expand to 4x8 or make it higher off the ground or no? I also don't like the vent blowing right on the roosts but maybe that can be changed? I don't know, I mostly just love the looks of it but maybe any coop could be painted to made look cute and maybe a 4x8 coop isn't that hard to build?
 
Roada Red said:
For the second link I'm not sure what one u are meaning as there is a video with a buch of different coops and stuff on there page
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Think you mean the first link? The clarks one? Anyway, i clicked it because I remembered the meyer hatchery one so googled "new englander coop" or something and it linked to that page. I think there is one on there called new englander but then when I got to the page I liked them all LOL so I guess I more mean like what do you think of just all the different ideas i guess but also how some say they can hold like 20 chickens and stuff
 
Since you're in Mass. and prone to the kind of winter weather that would keep chickens in their coops for potentially extended periods of time, I would build the coop to maximize the amount of space per bird to minimize problems like pecking. I don't think many people have ever regretted going with a bigger coop, but plenty have regretted going too small!
 
Jensownzoo said:
Since you're in Mass. and prone to the kind of winter weather that would keep chickens in their coops for potentially extended periods of time, I would build the coop to maximize the amount of space per bird to minimize problems like pecking. I don't think many people have ever regretted going with a bigger coop, but plenty have regretted going too small!
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That is very true! When I briefly mentioned the 8x8 thing though he half scoffed and was like "that's a house!" I even went "that's still smaller than most horse stalls" and he went "these aren't horses, they're chickens!" Okay true :p but I just figured they'd need floor space to explore and stuff. He also was like 4 SQUARE FEET PER BIRD!?!? I don't know, he thought it was a lot and claimed to have talked to all these "chicken experts" that build coops. Well we all know they claim you can fit as many birds as possible in those things to sell OR it may work for theirs but they probably free range them, which I don't think we can do. But it's a good thing I'm building it not him :p

Anyways, I've been thinking a lot tonight and wondering if 6x6 is maybe better? It's not much different but it is a tiny bit more square feet. But he'll probably say that's a house too
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But yeah, I wonder though if with the size of the run the actual coop would matter too much? I know in bad weather it would but I'm going to try to roof part of the run anyway and add walls in bad weather so they could still go out.

The run is going to be huge, like 8x50 at least.

You do have a point with bad weather though. They go out now in snow and all sorts of stuff but only if it's not actively snowing or raining.
 
I'll be setting the posts for my coop this week...it's going to be 8x16" and I'm going to frame it in such a way that I can add onto it later as well. Four square feet per bird is actually the recommended amount...but you can squeak by on less with such a large run.
 
I wish I could build mine that big! Lol I like the idea of framing in room for expansion though :p but yeah, I've read that a bunch on here, which is why i was gonna go with 4x8, but my dad was surprised/thought it was a lot of space. Still gonna do it though but im curious now too, why is that the number? Cause i mean i can kinda see why he thought that, given that they only take up maybe 1 sq ft
 
Stress levels from confinement rise the closer you pack them in, which reduces things like egg production and feed conversion as well as making them tetchy. Just think about people on subways, airplanes, elevators...then imagine being in that situation for 18 hours at a time in winter! Plus, the extra room lets them move around, flap wings, dust bathe...do basic chicken behaviors other than pecking each other. It's why chickens in industrial chicken operations have to be debeaked...they aren't given enough room.
 
Ahhhh okay, all that makes a lot of sense!! That's what I figured, that the extra 3 sq ft were for exploring and stuff, but wanted to be sure. I never even thought of the public transportation explanation! That is a fantastic point and I'm going to show my dad that I think! Maybe all of it. :) I'll definitely make it as big as possible but unfortunately I think that might only be 4x8 or 6x6 but I'll try to make it bigger since I'm going to save up for most of it myself but don't know if I can. But even if not, I'll try to make the run big or let them free range
 

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