New to this, and planning new coop with existing shed - help, please...

[Mims]

First off, I'd like to say hello, and thank you guys. I found the thread last night where the exciting PDZ discovery was made. I was up till 3am reading that. Now here I am at work......not working... I see the start of a beautiful friendship! lol


So we are in the process of buying a house in the country, we close on May 24, after living with my....dear.....sweet....loving....mother-in-law, for 10 months (please, for the love of God, hurry up, May 24!!!!)



So my 8 year old DD is already planing out the "farm", lol. She's delighted to get another horse, hers died last year at the age of 34. She has firmly decided that she wants chickens. I am perfectly fine with that, I was thinking along those lines anyways.


So, here's what I have to work with. I was going to make this a secure barn cat house. I need barn cats, but don't want to leave them at the mercy of the coyotes. But after further thought, I think it would be better as a coop. I will figure out something for them.


Here's pics of the area. Please ignore the realtor and my husband. And don't tell him I posted this pic, he might not appreciate it.


First pic:
It's the little gray cinder block shed. Behind it is the main barn, horse stalls and pasture.



You can't see it in this picture, but the CB shed is just to the right of the tree on the right. Our house is on the left, about 50 or so yard to the left of the realtor. It gives you an idea of the room that's there. I can't go overboard, I may be Old McDonald, but Mr. Mims is most definitely not.





The coop is the shed to the back. The white shed is the water well house.





So. The windows are all busted out, and one corner of the roof is bent back, and needs to be repaired. Other than that, I believe it's in pretty good condition. I honestly don't remember what flooring it has, it was the least of my priorities that day. I think it's concrete. It quite possibly has electricity running to it. The rest of the buildings do.


I am thinking of getting 4 or 5 hens. I don't see any need for a rooster at this point. What is an adequate space for the run? I'm going to have to level the ground in front of it, obviously. It won't be pretty when it rains, due to the fields being higher behind it.


I plan to let them free range when I'm home in the evenings, and on weekends.


Does anyone else have a pre-existing CB coop they can show me? Any tips, ideas, advice for me?



Thanks guys. I am so glad to have found you!!!!

 

[Judy]

There is a rule of thumb often quoted here of 4 sq ft per chicken for the coop and 10 sq ft per chicken for the run. This is judged to be a minimal amount for safety, to prevent serious pecking, feather picking and even cannibalism issues. IMO there is no such thing as too big a coop, though. It will give you room to store feed (metal garbage cans work great,) move around comfortably, add to your flock, set up an isolation area for a sick or broody chicken, and so forth. They love the space. Mine has a dirt floor which is my floor of choice; I just keep pine shavings or hay on the floor, add a little as needed if it gets smelly, and rake it all out once a year -- but my coop is much larger than 4 sq ft per chicken, as there used to be lots more of them.

People use all sorts of buildings for coops, CB included. You can give them a couple of milk crates or 5 gallon buckets on their side for nests if you wish; there is no need to build something neatly constructed, and fasten it to the wall. The hens won't care. People use old dresser drawers, plastic bins, all sorts of things. My coop is metal so my roosts are free standing, just four 2x4's with cross pieces, with the 4 legs buried maybe 6". The roosts are 30" high, more or less. Be sure the nests are lower than the roosts.

Many people have much smaller coops and clean them out often, like weekly. There are about as many ways to manage chickens as there are chicken owners.

The low spot might be a problem, though. A coop and run should be well drained. Also, be sure there is adequate ventilation for them. A buildup of their eshaled humidity and excreted ammonia is very bad for them. They need ventilation and shelter, but don't really need warmth. I'll give you a couple of links you might find useful.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-fix-a-muddy-run-chicken-coop

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/700308/coop-and-run-size/0_20#post_9504811

 

[Alaskan]

Yeah! And congrats! And then, everything flock watcher said.

 

[Mims]

Thank you so much, flockwatcher, that is a help!