New Member New Coop

[wrenchdevil]

Hey everybody just finished my coop and run. I got a ton of ideas from this forum and it's members and wanted to say thank you for all the help you didn't know you gave me. My dad and I built it in 4 days. The run is 21'x8'x6' and the coop is 4'x8' plus egg boxes. It is entirely covered by a roof. I have 4 girls right now and will be adding a rooster and one or two more chicks. I have a few finishing touches to add but the basics are all there.
The beginning

Day one done

Day two a late one

Day three rain delay

Day 4 done

The chicks really love the new digs especially the shade from the Florida sun. Thanks again for the inspiration.

 

[Judy]

Looks like a great Florida setup!

 

[FeatherPainter]

Great job and welcome to the forum.

 

[wrenchdevil]

Thanks
I'm beginning to wonder if I can comfortably add 2-3 more birds to that set up or if I should just get a rooster?

 

[AliNaz]

I love the way it looks!!! I'm also in Central Florida and I'm thinking of going with a 3 sided coop design. What direction is the open end of the coop facing? Can you share with me about how much this size coop and run cost you to build? You did an awesome job!!

 

[aart]

Nice build! Lots of great space and ventilation!

I think you can add a few more birds...rule of thumb minimum is 4 sqft of space per bird confined in coop....1 foot of roost per bird.
Being a wide open coop to run, you may be able to keep more.

But.....

That chicken wire is susceptible to predator breach, dog, coon, coyote, fox all love to eat chicken and can possibly tear thru chicken wire, and smaller predators like rats, weasels and snakes can get thru the holes.
Unless you have a predator guard dog out 24/7 you might consider adding hardware cloth.

1/2" x 1/2" hardware cloth attached with screws and washers every 6-8" with an apron at the bottom of the walls is pretty much impenetrable to anything or at least some 2"x4" to keep the larger stuff out.

 

[wrenchdevil]

Yeah looking at the square foot guidelines I'll be able to keep more birds than i want very comfortably.
As for predators I have two Dogo Argentinian and a Bulldog that I've got trained to keep an eye on them. They free range together all day without incident.

 

[aart]

Yeah looking at the square foot guidelines I'll be able to keep more birds than i want very comfortably.
As for predators I have two Dogo Argentinian and a Bulldog that I've got trained to keep an eye on them. They free range together all day without incident.

Night time is when you'll need them most.

 

[apteryx]

I like this setup. It looks well suited to the heat and humidity here in the south.

 

[TXchickmum]

-great coop for the climate!! Good job!!