Noob seeks advice: Rebuild or replace?

[hungry]

I've thought about a dog. In face I recently visited a local dog rescue operation just to see what sort of place they were. I have mixed feelings about it since the dog would need to stay home alone most days while I'm at work. It is an option though.

 

[Kjordanov]

I've thought about a dog. In face I recently visited a local dog rescue operation just to see what sort of place they were. I have mixed feelings about it since the dog would need to stay home alone most days while I'm at work. It is an option though.

If you were to get a guardian you would probably want either a well trained adult or a Pup that can be easily trained the way you want. There isn't much to training other than putting them with the animal lol

 

[Child of Noah]

I don't want to "sell" you on a dog if it is only for your chickens. I appreciate that you are considering the fact that he will be home "alone" while you are at work.
Thank you for being a responsible animal owner (or would-be-owner).
Do consider that he will be working too though. A guardian dog will consider your farm his JOB to protect. He will not be idle and bored like some poor dog left in a one-bedroom apartment all day.
Training can be a lot of work. I got lucky and my dog feels it is her responsibility to look at the chickens and sometimes sniff their butts.

 

[hungry]

A dog would be an easy sell - I like them and am used to having them around. I've never had a "Livestock Guardian" as such - the closest I've come was when I lived in an are where (by zoning) 2 acres was the minimum residential lot size. Apart from being a good pet he was great for keeping coyotes away and keeping an eye on the place, but he was only "alone" when we went into town to go shopping or the like. He wasn't a LGD breed but he was a big (140lb or so) tall (30" at the shoulders) animal who (as I've been reading up on LGDs) shared a lot of traits with some of the LGD breeds. Throw a stick or a ball and he'd just turn to look at you, not even a thought of chasing it. He was content with his role on our little spot of land and never went roaming on his own, which I gather is a common problem with the more independent LGD breeds.


I won't do that until/unless I'm sure that I can dedicate the continuous time and attention to training that such a dog would need.


Another couple "coop" questions for anyone who can answer......


Is there any relationship between the shape of a coop and the square footage needed? As in...

I could build a coop that was 7' x 7', or 1' x 49', and end up with the same square footage. I can't believe they would have the same chicken capacity though. If I'm targeting about 32 square feet, I can reach that with a 4'x8' rectangle, a 5.66'x5.66' square, or a circle 6.4' in diameter. Is there any difference in the real-world (vs theoretical) chicken-holding capacity of these shapes?

Second, can the square footage requirement be reached with multiple coops facing into a common run?

I have two hutches which could very easily be repurposed into two 12 square foot raised henhouses. Each would be plenty for three birds. If I can do that it frees me up to spend more time/money on the run.

Thanks for all the advice!