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wingstone said:
This only works if you post pictures of it....
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Baym said:
If my post count doesn't give it away, my lack of knowledge sure will - I am a newb when it comes to raising chickens. I have spent some time researching different types of coops. Ironically I was driving backroads to Hershey the other day and drove right by a place that was selling coops so I swung in. They had a really nice design that is sort of like the Wichita setup that appears in the design area of BYC. I was hoping I could get the opinion of my fellow Pennsylvanians here. How would this coop work for 6 hens (or perhaps 8 - my township maximum for 2 acres)?

http://www.shedsunlimited.net/store/product/buy-chicken-coop-with-run/

It would be the 5 x 8, which means the coop area is 5x4 and the covered run is also 5x4 (with an additional 5x4 under the coop itself).

Thanks in advance for your insight.

EDIT: For the record, don't focus on the price! Wow that thing isn't cheap. It is more the design aspect that intrigued me.
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personally i see how much a shed is. then i would customize it the way i would want it. i think you can find a bigger shed for a lot less money.
 
bruceh said:
personally i see how much a shed is. then i would customize it the way i would want it. i think you can find a bigger shed for a lot less money.
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I plan to build it myself over the winter. Just really trying to get a design idea. Didn't want to screw up the sizing!
 
Baym said:
Wow 4 sq feet per bird in the coop itself? I thought the design forum was saying 2-3 sq feet in the coop and an additional 2-3 sq feet in the run.

OK, so that means bigger coop baby! I have plenty of room, so going bigger isn't an issue.
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the 4 sq foot design is the min. . however you have to include roost space, nests and other things the bird would use. so if you have 20 sq ft on the floor and your roosts and nest boxes take up 8 sq ft. you have 12 sq ft left. this is just a suggestion on how i do things.
 
So I am shooting for no more than max 8 hens (more likely 6), so I would need 32 (or 24) sq feet of coop space, plus more space for roosts and nests? Sound about right?
 
Baym,
I have four LF hens in a very similar coop, except mine doesn't have run space under the coop area. It has storage there instead. My girls do free range most of the day in our back yard, but on occasions like we just had with Sandy, I really wish the run size was bigger. It really becomes clear what being "cooped up" really means. You might get by if your run design was another 5'x4' longer, and you kept it to 5 or 6 girls. But if there is one thing being on BYC has taught me it's "BUILD BIGGER NOW...BEFORE CHICKEN MATH SETS IN!!"

mm

ETA: Keeping measurements based on 4' and 8' lengths will make budgeting lumber much easier.
 
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