New to chickens :: Just bought this coop, thoughts? Feedback?

[banditti]

Wow, 2 hens? Really? I was hoping for 4-6

I live in Arizona, so no snow in the future, but I will take the recommendations and treat it before assembly.

My yard has an 8' block wall around it, and I live in suburbia. How much do I really need to worry about predators? I also have a dog, but she will leave the birds alone.

Thank you for all your feedback.

 

[Oven Ready]

So yeah, the seller is underestimating how many birds this can hold by quite a bit

Didn't you mean to say 'overestimating' ?

Go for Bantams to squeeze more in

 

[banditti]

It should be pretty easy to extend the run area. I really want no more than 4-6. If I do that, I should be good to go in theory, right?

 

[hallerlake]

I wonder if one could add wheels and handles to turn it into a tractor. My girls love having fresh grass under them every day. If chickens get a chance to free range, can you get away with less living space per bird?

 

[Oven Ready]

If you shut the chickens up in the coop at night, do you really need a solid floor for the run? Where I live, predators are mostly an issue at night.

I didn't think of shutting them completely in the wooden bit at night, I thought they'd be able to pop in and out between coop & run as they pleased so perhaps I was being overly cautious.

We free range so daytime is when we lose most (to dogs and cats), and we don't have raccoons which seems to be most peoples problem predator.​

 

[chics in the sun]

Since you live in a warm climate like me, they don't need a lot of enclosed "coop" space like they would if it were cold, as they can be out in the run all day, everyday, as long as it is shady. If you are locking them into the coop at night, though, I wouldn't do more than four in that amount of space. Mine is 4x4 with 4 hens now and 2 more on the way, but I don't keep them up there. They just go up and go to sleep, then are out in the other areas as soon as they wake up. It's a combo run/coop, I guess, to stay cooler.

 

[chickerdoodle]

OK, my opinion is what you are looking for so I will give it.

First, 7x3x 4.4 H is a bit narrow and low and will be harder for a human to work inside the run than say a 4 or 5 foot wide and 6 foot high one (I tested this out myself before we built ours and I'm 4'11'). It is only big enough for 2-3 hens at the most (unless its bantams then you could get 4). Standard sized dual purpose chickens (the more common type for small backyard flocks) should have 10 sq. feet per hen and indoors its best with 4 sq. ft. per hen. Now you can get away with a little smaller if you allow them to range everyday. If you just keep them in the run you risk more problems as they'll get bored more easily.

Ahem, not quite done. It looks great but I worry about that price for what you are getting--its quite inexpensive compared to similar sized coops and even has free shipping! They do not have any in stock and it comes from far away--guess why? There are many Chinese made coops like that sold all over that are notoriously poor quality even though they state the opposite.

I am so sorry for saying this but I don't want YOU to be disappointed thinking a super coop is coming. I may be wrong, but I look at that picture and description and its so close to the poorly made ones. There are other threads about this too. Sooo sorry to be the bearer of bad news. If you cannot cancel it or wish to still try it I hope I am wrong.

 

[Zahboo]

Chicken Coop Dimensions (Approx sizes incl roof overhang)

House overall exterior (incl. nesting box & roof overhang)

Width 7ft x Depth 3ft x Height 4'4"

Living area (incl roof overhang - Plus nest Box)

Width 31" x Depth 35.5" x Height 35.5"

NEST BOX (incl roof overhang)

Width 13" x Depth 26.5" x Height 15"

Run Area (incl roof overhang)

Width 42" x Depth 31" x Height 41"

That's tiny. Living area is not even 9sq ft. You can fit 2 birds in there...​

 

[far149]

I agree that what you purchased will only hold 2-4 hens. I don't get the roof opening up either. Seems like that will make it more susceptible to leaking and you would have to climb up a ladder to do anything inside.

 

[Oven Ready]

Chicken Coop Dimensions (Approx sizes incl roof overhang)

Wow! I didn't see the dimensions on the ebay site - I've looked now - I thought the whole thing to the roof of the coop would be about 10 feet not 4 foot 4. I did wonder how the heck you'd be able to get up to the roof to make use of the gullwing door roof openings, now I realise that you'll be bending down with the roof open.

Whoever takes their pictures sure knows how to make stuff look big. (Don't photograph my butt

)

Do you think the trees in the background are bonzai? Or have they built one that is 10 foot tall, taken a photo and then built the ones they sell on 2.5:1 scale ?​