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[4 ever Orpington]

Hi, I am absolutely new to this. I have a cat. I feed, groom, and change the litter. I'm all about low maintenance. I'd like to add chickens for the sake of eggs. I want to free range them. Ideally, I'd like to put boxes 5 feet off the ground on 4x4s and let them nest and lay in those, but I don't get to make the rules. I remember my aunt had an industrial fridge looking coop decades ago. Aluminum. Very functional. Lasted my whole childhood. Now? It's all cheap Chinese fir prefab junk. I cannot find anything sensible. It's that, or multi thousand dollar SMC composite space shuttles.

I want something, some solution, to my goal:year round chicken keeping with minimal predator loss and no need to hunt all over for where they hid the eggs, at the lowest time and money expense.

My location is SW MO. Predators are bald eagles, hawks, coyote, raccoon, and the neighbors dogs. Bald eagles and the dogs get a pass. I'll shoot anything else on sight if its eying my chickens. Mostly though, I need the chicken to handle itself. Some loss is inevitable I understand.

I would like: breed recommendation, housing solution for year round, at the lowest cost. Seriously... can out door nestingboxes be placed on a beam like mailboxes?

Me:

32, male, healthcare profession.
I enjoy lifting, shooting, hiking, and online gaming (xbox and pc)

I plan to keep these chickens in this yard, and the housing arrangement to the left of the garage.

 

[Unobtanium]

Welcome to BYC, Unobtanium.

Some thoughts on that coop:

• The basic structure looks good, but it would need at least $100 of additions to get it to a reasonable state to care for your girls.
• If you want to move it, then I'd strongly recommend 8" wheels on the back, possibly lowerable wheels on the front, and likely some additional bracing to handle the stress of movement.
• If you keep it as a static coop, none of that applies and you might want to look into "deep litter" bedding to handle the lack of grass.
• I can't really see the front of the coop area very well, but it looks like it has pretty much no ventilation. That is a serious problem. You'll want to add ventilation to vent moisture, even in winter. Chickens are naturally insulated and can handle cold weather surprisingly well.
  
• While the chicken wire covering is good to keep out hawks and keep in chickens, raccoons can reach through and/or tear up the chicken wire to get to a tasty meal. I'd add hardware cloth on the lower half and if you are keeping a static coop, bury it about a foot into the ground.
• I have no idea why that coop is on blocks, possibly just for display purposes. You would want the coop to be flat on the ground to prevent things from getting under it.

It's on blocks to have been painted is my guess. I will add bracing. What's the easiest way to properly add venting? I will assess need for wheels once I have it in hand. Is $400 delivered as pictured ok?

 

[Dayrel]

It's on blocks to have been painted is my guess. I will add bracing. What's the easiest way to properly add venting? I will assess need for wheels once I have it in hand. Is $400 delivered as pictured ok?

Given that it is more solidly built than pretty much any prefab you'll find in a store- probably. Looks like it is a local builder, right? I'd ask about having it built with 1/2" hardware cloth instead of the chicken wire. At least the bottom half if not the whole rig. It is more expensive, but will be easier for them to install than for you to retrofit. It is more expensive than chicken wire, so expect a bump in price (part of that $100+ I mentioned).

Search this site for "ventilation" to get an idea on how much you'll need (more than you'd think). You will likely end up cutting rectangles around the upper sides of the coop area and either putting simple hardware cloth over the openings or possibly some vents with screening.

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC. That's a good foundation for a satisfactory coop for your endeavor.

 

[Unobtanium]

Given that it is more solidly built than pretty much any prefab you'll find in a store- probably. Looks like it is a local builder, right? I'd ask about having it built with 1/2" hardware cloth instead of the chicken wire. At least the bottom half if not the whole rig. It is more expensive, but will be easier for them to install than for you to retrofit. It is more expensive than chicken wire, so expect a bump in price (part of that $100+ I mentioned).

Search this site for "ventilation" to get an idea on how much you'll need (more than you'd think). You will likely end up cutting rectangles around the upper sides of the coop area and either putting simple hardware cloth over the openings or possibly some vents with screening.

My neighbor has a coop using chicken wire and has had no issue. Is it possible mine will be fine, or is it a guarantee it won't basically?

 

[Unobtanium]

What type of chicken should I procure? Should I get a rooster? How many is my coop fir for?

 

[Teila]

What type of chicken should I procure? Should I get a rooster? How many is my coop fir for?

I have a few links which might help you with your questions:

What type of chicken should I procure?
Pickin a Chicken

Should I get a rooster?
Topic of the Week - Roosters, Yes or No?
Topic of the Week: Aggressive Roosters - What is the best way to handle them?

How many is my coop fir for?
How Much Room Do Chickens Need

 

[Unobtanium]

I spoke with the builder. The cage isnt what I'm getting. It's a stock photo. Mine is being built and I think he will include hardware cloth instead and venting of the box since I didn't haggle his initial price

 

[drumstick diva]

Dayrel has given you great information and advice. We don't know the inside measurements of the coop , nor positioning of roosts, nest boxes etc. A window would be nice to let some light in.

I doubt very much than any chicken would fly up 5 ft. to lay an egg when it's so much more convenient for them to just lay eggs on the ground.

 

[Unobtanium]

Dayrel has given you great information and advice. We don't know the inside measurements of the coop , nor positioning of roosts, nest boxes etc. A window would be nice to let some light in.

I doubt very much than any chicken would fly up 5 ft. to lay an egg when it's so much more convenient for them to just lay eggs on the ground.

It has a walkway to the box. Is that insufficient? I'm sorry, I am ignorant of the chicken and its ways. I am trying to learn, but due to ignorance am probably approaching issues incorrectly, or failing to notice things that are issues. Thankyou for your patience.