Our coop. What do you think?

[speckledhen]

You're right, I didn't see the latches. Good! Enjoy your birds!

 

[chickerdoodle]

It is such a darling coop!

I think the colors are charming.

I have to agree that if you are planning standard size hens its a bit too small for 6. A lot depends on your weather of course but in Oklahoma I would think the summer is hot enough for them to want too spread out further on the roosts. I also like 4 sq. feet inside the coop and 10 sq. feet in the run per hen but you might do OK with 3 sq.ft per hen inside but even that comes to 18 sq. feet and you have 16 sq. feet. I think 4 hens is perfect but you could get by with 5 hens who get along really well--and have the roosts at the same height to avoid pecking order fiascoes. If you go with more than 4 keep in mind they would have the minimum size inside and outside so get VERY docile hens! If you get bantams you're fine with 6--easily.

 

[abChicken]

neat coop

 

[cochicks]

Cute!

 

[Laurajean]

That's 4x4 feet?? It looks smaller than that. I think it's a bit small for six chickens, but it's very cute.

 

[darkmatter]

Well, you did ask: What do you think?

An acquaintance of mine in a Urban environment built a very similar artsy craftsy coop on stilts. First windy below freezing temperature night they all died of hypothermia. (the chickens that is, they were snug in their beds in the house)

 

[babyrnlc]

Quote:
Well, I guess the coop passed the test. I just went to check on the girls because it is -13 wind chill and blizzard yesterday. They were good, actually roosting (I figured they would be on the ground with the hay) They quickly hopped down when I put the cracked corn in and there were two frozen eggs in one of the nestboxes! (only have two hens, so they both layed), did not expect that! They even went outside a few minutes and went back in.

 

[zephyr66]

adorable and creative! nice job. i concur with most that it's a bit small for 6, but awesome job! enjoy.

 

[OHGrandma]

Quote:
Well, I guess the coop passed the test. I just went to check on the girls because it is -13 wind chill and blizzard yesterday. They were good, actually roosting (I figured they would be on the ground with the hay) They quickly hopped down when I put the cracked corn in and there were two frozen eggs in one of the nestboxes! (only have two hens, so they both layed), did not expect that! They even went outside a few minutes and went back in.

I've been looking at similar setups, and have been concerned about the cold winds. Did you use 3/4 inch plywood for the sides & bottom? Is there any insulation? How far off the ground is it?

 

[babyrnlc]

Quote:
Well, I guess the coop passed the test. I just went to check on the girls because it is -13 wind chill and blizzard yesterday. They were good, actually roosting (I figured they would be on the ground with the hay) They quickly hopped down when I put the cracked corn in and there were two frozen eggs in one of the nestboxes! (only have two hens, so they both layed), did not expect that! They even went outside a few minutes and went back in.

I've been looking at similar setups, and have been concerned about the cold winds. Did you use 3/4 inch plywood for the sides & bottom? Is there any insulation? How far off the ground is it?

We used OSB, was told it is was warmer. The bottom rests on the 2x4's so that it can be removed for cleaning. There isn't insulation, other than hay. We covered it with tarps for the cold. IF we lived somewhere that gets cold often, I would think we would want something else. WE plan on moving it, so it needed to be lighter. The roofing made it pretty heavy. I believe it is 28 inches off the ground.

We got the idea from this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMcUYFBuFyU

but changed it to be taller and wider. We put two nest boxes on the sides and made the back a full open door. When the weath gets better we are gonna cut the door to make two, it is a hassle to open the whole thing to feed on the bottom. We also did not cover the run because it would be too heavy (we will just use a tarp for shade, much lighter to move)