noob needs coop ideas

[glitch]

Hi all,
Just joined.........lotta chickaholics in here.
I'm sure this is gonna be fun.

Ok......here's how it goes...

I've been thinkin on gettin chickens for a while now and decided to
get my feet wet with just 3 chicks. They're due to arrive the last week of may. I have been looking around, getting some idea of basic designs.
And there seems to be such a wealth of knowledge here, I thought I'd throw out a post.
I live in RI so the coop has to be winter proof. I'm starting with the three hens but if everything goes as well as I think it will I will be building a new coop for a total of 24 hens next spring. So this current coop, although sturdy and built with the safety/comfort of the chickens, must be put together on the "cheep". Oh ya....thought of that one all by myself. lol.
Oh ya.....I live on two acres with a few foxes and possibly coyotes in the neighborhood, hence my mention of a "sturdy" coop.
I'm open to any and all suggestions.....thx for your time!

Brian

 

[CityChook]

First,

from MN!

Second, spend some time pouring through the coop designs pages as well as this coop forum. There are tons of photos and threads that will answer most of your questions. There is a search feature in the blue bar at the top of the page that can help you in learning specifics. Learning from others experiences will also help you decide what features you'd like your coop to have.

If you're looking for something quick and fast and cheap at this stage, consider a dog house. You can then spend your money building a nice run for them. This will buy you some time to decide how you'd like to house those 24 birds next year.

Have fun!

 

[patandchickens]

See what you can scrounge in the nature of plywood and 2x4s, or a large doghouse in good condition, or a solid packing crate. You can whump together something 4x4ish (plus you'll want a 4x10ish run) that will see 3 chickens through the winter reasonably adequately, and then you can use it as an isolation or half-grown-chick coop after you build your Real coop later on.

With your predator situation, make sure you don't cheap out on the run -- you want real fencing, not chickenwire, possibly a top on the run, and possibly wood corner posts.

Or, you could jsut go ahead and build a shed big enough for 24+ chickens *now*, on the theory that if for some bizarre reason your plans should change away from chickens you would still find the shed useful for garden/yard storage or a workshop. You'd want something at *least* 8x10 for that number of chickens, I recommend larger as that'll give you room for storage and/or expansion. (Plus you'd want a run ~3x that size or larger)

Have fun,

Pat

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome. Get ready to meet some nice people here.

This link is to a coop lessons learned thread. It may help more for 24 chickens, but who knows. You might check Craigslist for a cheap dog house or something else you can use for 3 chickens.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=140561

 

[Zahboo]

Okay. Fist things first,

I'm sure you will love it here

Have you viewed the coops on BYC? If you go to the tippy top of the page you will see blue links.

They are
BYC Home, Learning Center, Breeds, COOP DESIGNS, BYC Store, Member Pages, and Forum FAQ's.

I suggest going to the Learning Center and Coop Designs.



PERSONALLY I think you'd do good with an A frame "Chicken Ark" the little tractors. You can buy 2x2s, about 5 of them and a sheet or two of OSB and have a decent coop. It's compact and sturdy, so the coyotes can't tumble the coop

 

[Pamjay]

Hi Brian. Deciding on a coop design is a very personal and fun decision. The sky is the limit as far as shape and features. Have fun looking though books and at web sites to find what will meet your needs. I am currently planning and building my first coop and it's so much fun! I started with a design from the book "Chicken Coops 45 Building Plans for Housing Your Flock" but I have strayed from the plan in some places because I wanted to build my coop from mainly salvaged materials. Good luck and please post pictures!