Oh crap, what have I done ...

[AppleMomma65]

Thanks to all! I am going to cancel a few of the chicks on the order - including the freebie. The coop is a go. Hubby does not want to deal with hauling/rebuilding/redoing a coop. Kudos to you all who have done that - they are awesome and neat to look at.

In the event the birds are crowded/unhappy, I do have a neighbor who said she'd take one or two so ultimately I'm not worried. Was hoping I could make it all work with this coop I'm really looking forward to getting.

 

[Folly's place]

Please cancel this order if you can!
It would work as an isolation space, or a space for chicks for a short time, but not for more than three hens at most otherwise. And not where you live!
Spend for a garden shed that you can walk into, and plan on at least 60 sq. ft. of floor space, and then a large covered run. Your birds need that space for winter snow, and when predators show up, and for their health and sanity.
Prefab coops are made too small, too inconvenient, and not safe. Money wasted, IMO.
Mary

 

[Mamatomany123]

I'd prefer not to have a rooster but will raise it if it is. I called the hatchery and they said it would be a female if that's all I ordered (I did only order females). They will free range most of the day. May have to be in coop for a day or two if we are away. Husband is building an extra section -- 8ftx8ft and 4ft tall -- off of the new coop side for more room for them to run around. All sides on coop and the run will be surrounded by apron of hardware cloth.

Here's coop - will arrive in two weeks and will build. Have a large brooder set up that will do for first 4-5 weeks, then will move to a pen in our heated garage and stay until it's warm enough for them to be in coop. Husband will add on to the back side (there's a small chicken door) an 8x8x4 run. Can do a bigger run.

I did add the "winterize" package to the coop set up - plexiglass panels that go on the screen parts of the coop - top part is open for ventilation.

Look at that first picture.there are about 5 large hens in there. The size chickens you are getting. They have enough room to spread their wings and move. Now imagine doubling that. Theyll be pretty squished. You're more than doubling. It's not enough.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Yes. The winterize option covers all exposed area of screen EXCEPT the vents at the top.

Digging in their specs it looks like 5 feet of roost space so MAXIMUM is 5....with a run addition. I still don't feel like it is protected enough.
Those angled "run" sides bug me a bunch. I know my dogs would bounce those like a polar bear after a seal. They would be in in seconds.
The birds are way to exposed in that set up. Way way way to exposed.
My greenhouse gets to 80+ even when it is 30 out and I leave a vent open. I wonder what that will heat up to on a sunny afternoon in the winter there with Plexiglas panels...... Birds in winter feather can overheat easily and giant temp swings are super rough on them.

 

[Cryss]

Are you seeing what I am seeing ..... There is no ladder to get to that one roost or ledge in front of the nests is there? I don't see a floor under the sleeping area either........
My old eyes may be missing something in this design....

OH MY!! I hadn’t looked inside!! This coop is made for Texas weather, definitely not for Minnesota!!
No ladder! To get up they need to jump almost straight up in the air. Forget that to get down they minimally need to be as many feet from the roost to all walls as they are from the roost to the floor. Otherwise they are going to slam hard into walls trying to get down! They also could very easily injure their legs or feet jumping down.
Cute coop but it’s more a playhouse for pretend. It doesn’t know chickens.

 

[Folly's place]

Maybe for four bantams? Even my bantams wouldn't be good there!
Mary

 

[Mamatomany123]

OH MY!! I hadn’t looked inside!! This coop is made for Texas weather, definitely not for Minnesota!!
No ladder! To get up they need to jump almost straight up in the air. Forget that to get down they minimally need to be as many feet from the roost to all walls as they are from the roost to the floor. Otherwise they are going to slam hard into walls trying to get down! They also could very easily injure their legs or feet jumping down.
Cute coop but it’s more a playhouse for pretend. It doesn’t know chickens.

Maybe texas. I live in texas and we got 10 inches of snow this year.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I have an older style coop from this company, so I will say that assuming they're still building to standard they are pretty solid, it's not cheap thin wood.

The specs on the coop are a wee bit confusing. I'm looking at the assembly instructions to get a better look at interior. The roost runs the entire length so you have about 70" of roost, so that'll fit 6-7 hens. The floor space technically is enough for more but the roost is the main limiting factor here. You'll also need to add a proper run with a minimum of 10 sq ft per bird - the 8x8 run you're proposing will hold approx 6 hens. So right now it's looking like 6 is the magic number...

You'll get condensation from the roof in winter, btw, as there's nothing under the metal to catch drips

 

[chickens really]

I have 7 Bantam chickens and my Coop is 8X12 shed with 8X12 covered Run. It's a great size for 7 Bantam and possibly comfortable enough for a couple more. It wasn't enough though for 7 standard breed chickens.

 

[AppleMomma65]

I have an older style coop from this company, so I will say that assuming they're still building to standard they are pretty solid, it's not cheap thin wood.

The specs on the coop are a wee bit confusing. I'm looking at the assembly instructions to get a better look at interior. The roost runs the entire length so you have about 70" of roost, so that'll fit 6-7 hens. The floor space technically is enough for more but the roost is the main limiting factor here. You'll also need to add a proper run with a minimum of 10 sq ft per bird - the 8x8 run you're proposing will hold approx 6 hens. So right now it's looking like 6 is the magic number...

You'll get condensation from the roof in winter, btw, as there's nothing under the metal to catch drips

Thank you - good to hear from a current owner! I read a lot of reviews on them before buying and they had the best reviews around for a well-built coop within my price range. Can I ask if you purchased the winterized panels - as you are in NE WA? I'm still getting them as will help in keeping out snow and wind but just curious. Also - did you have any concerns with not having a ladder? That was the first thing I noticed but when I called they said that it's more natural for chickens to want to fly up to roost. Can easily add ladder but that would take up floor space. Do you do anything for the condensation?

There really is a lot of opinion on number of birds/coop size as I've talked to several of my personal chicken friends, too and almost all say it's big enough as they will free range during day and sleep together on roosts at night. Simply trying to be successful while knowing I won't be 100% successful.