OK OK stop it now.

[kardar2]

LOL yep I get bit hard my plans went from a 4'x4' to a 4'x6' and at work Today I derided to go with the 4'x8' LOL! I FRAMED it so it is a 4'x8 and now I can get 9 hens I can only have 12 hens which I could probably get away with having more. But I will stop at 9.I know there is a bunch of stories like that.I have a question, I know some of you put vinyl down and some have a hammock and others use a board. I am not sure what I am going to use yet.I bought some exterior paint to paint the floor. Latex semi gloss. Will that work okay under the pine shavings? Thanks

 

[Chickens R Us]

Paint should be fine under a thick layer of pine shavings. I use vinyl the 12"x12" stick on kind, real cheap. I also have poop boards under the roosts best decision I've made it saves a lot on the shavings. I would also build your coop with the ease of adding an extension, just in case you are attacked by chicken math. LOL

 

[chiknhurder]

You can see my coop details in my profile. It's a 4x8 foot coop with an attached run. My floor is 3/4 inch exterior grade plywood with a good latex paint to deter moisture. I bed it with about an inch of pine during the warm months and a couple of inches with lots of straw on top during the cold winter months. The nest boxes are insulated and bedded with pine and straw and a sprinkling of food grade DE. I have 7 hens, 5 pullets and a rooster in mine.

 

[kardar2]

Chickenhurder
You don't have any issues with 13 birds in there? I am going to get some Australorp.I live in the warmer climate in the winter it usually only gets down in th high 30's thanks

 

[chiknhurder]

Five of my birds are 8 week old pullets and they are currently in the lower part of the coop since I only got them this weekend. I'm hoping by spring to build a much larger coop, probably something along the lines of 12 x 12 foot or 15 x 15 foot. They have the run of a 100 x 40 foot pen that enclosed the coop and covered run so they will only be in there for roosting at night.

PS.... right now there are 8 in there including a rooster and they seem to have no problems. I'll probably leave the young ones underneath for anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks.