Optimal coop for 2 Orpingtons?

[saridout]

hi there

i'm very new to chickens, and i have some questions about coops. i plan on getting two orpingtons, probably buff. the space i have for the coop is about 6 X 20, with a small tree in the center, so it's really more like two spaces that are 6 X 10. what would be the best coop for my space and number/size of my birds? the more diminutive the coop, the better, as i'm trying to keep a nervous landlord happy. i've been considering an ark that has a coop on one side and a run on the other, or a two-story ark. is it better to have a larger run area, or a larger coop area? i'm concerned about getting a two-story ark, because it seems like the vertical space would be too cramped for large chickens like orpingtons. any advice?

 

[patandchickens]

It's really hard to say without knowing where you live. What is your climate like?

As for the ark business, if you mean one of those A-frame jobbies, they are really not very chickenfriendly and IMO should be avoided in nearly all circumstances. A rectangular (box-shaped) coop is really quite a lot better; it offers significantly more room for the chickens to actually use, and is mroe easily ventilated, and so forth and so on.

Good luck, have fun, welcome to BYC,

Pat

 

[CityChook]

I have buff orps too and I live in a northern, cold climate. I gave them significantly more space inside the coop than recommended. Am very glad that I did.

Coops are as varied as the chickens that go into them. Soooo many choices...

Have you checked out the coop design pages? That might be a good spot to check out to see if any of the designs are appealing to you.

Check back in and let us know how you're doing.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Check out my coop. I know that you will have to have more than two chickens. I have four, and this setup is perfect.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593

 

[saridout]

i live in north texas. it gets to be around 110F at most and 20F at the least, and in the summer there's fairly high humidity. the ark type i had had in mind is like this:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/43331_move.jpg

before i got interested in a-frames, i had looked at Ware chicken coops. what is the consensus on those?

citychook: if the climate is warm to hot, is it better to have more run space? i've looked at LOTS of coops, and many of them are visually appealing, but i don't know yet which coop is most practical

buff: i'm afraid that two is my absolute limit. that coop is quite a bit bigger than what i had in mind

 

[NeeleysAVLChicks]

From experience, I would suggest that you should start with 3 chickens instead of two. I had two to start and then lost one to an unfortunate accident (which be prepared, will happen from time to time with chickens) and then was scrambling to find a companion for my lonely girl, which created quarantine/integration issues, on and on. Just a thought!

 

[saridout]

that's something i had thought of, but i don't think i have any other option. if i get three in preparation for one of them to not survive, if they all survive, i'll be in a tight spot. i have a landlord who shares my duplex to whom i have to prove that chickens will not cause him any annoyance, and i promised him that i'd only get two.

 

[CityChook]

Quote:
Well honey, I'm not in a warm climate, so I'm not the best one to give you advice. I've got the cold-thing down. But in general, folks recommend 10 sq/ft per chicken in the run. I did 12 sq/ft and would give them twice that if I had the opportunity to do it again. And shade will be important, so if you don't have trees then you might want to consider covering a portion of the run. Chickens tend to have a tougher time in hot weather than colder weather.

If I only had 2 chickens, I'd convert a dog house to a coop. Raise it up, allow for run space beneath and attach a nice sized run as well. Put it where your landlord won't care that the grass will be dead. Cover it if you get lots of rain.

Sorry I can't be of more help on this one.

 

[patandchickens]

In Texas I would suggest that what you mostly want is a larger area of VERY WELL SHADED run, rather than extra-spacious indoors. Preferably put the whole assembly in a larger area of shade (from a building or large tree), as large pools of shade make things a lot cooler than just a tarp over the chicken run or something like that.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[teach1rusl]

So USE that small tree in the center if you can, if it's large enough to give a little shade. I would think a covered run of at least 4 x 5 or 4 x 6 with a little three sided shelter area (to shelter against blowing rains) built into it up high (to free up run space below) would be good for your area.