please Critique My Chicken Pen!! suggestions?? Pros? Cons?

[STxChickenman]

Very nicely done!!

 

[Harestad Farm]

Can you post photos of inside of coop or tell us what's on the side nearest the fence? Because from the photos above I see: nest box wall with no vents, long side wall with no vents, and then the ramp/entrance. If that's the only natural light and air intake for the coop, it's simply too dark for them to want to stuff into there at dusk, plus 6-7 chickens breathing in that space at night is going to cause a lot of moisture build up.

I'm also guessing that that's not 24 sq ft of enclosed coop space with 6 feet of roost (assuming 6 chickens since you said 1 roo will be dinner). If the chickens feel crowded they won't want to stay in there either, just too much jostling.

i will measure... i was told it was for up to eight.. but will add on this spring as the common consensus seems to be that its too small.. No there re no vents... i will add some tomorrow. there is a light in there that comes on from 4-10 am but i just changes it to come on inthe evening for a bit so they can get in and settle down...

 

[Chullicken]

Really loving your run, nice and rectangle with plenty of room. Only few things that catch my eye is the lack of HC and the rather small coop. Like previously mentioned a predator skirt is really a requirement in the chicken husbandry world regardless of where you live. Though the name is misleading, it keeps out all kinds of vermin and snakes that can cause issues. Second, I'd turn your entire coop and attached mini run into one big coop. Simple as boarding the sides up, adding some roost and ventilation. Third, I'm in the camp that chickens prefer to have the 2 X 4 roost flat side up. Other than that at first glace, looks really clean and manageable.

 

[rosemarythyme]

i will measure... i was told it was for up to eight.. but will add on this spring as the common consensus seems to be that its too small.. No there re no vents... i will add some tomorrow. there is a light in there that comes on from 4-10 am but i just changes it to come on inthe evening for a bit so they can get in and settle down...

I think it will help immensely if they can see light in there after dusk so they can get inside and get situated. I agree with Chullicken above that you can probably remedy space, light and ventilation issues by simply expanding the coop into the space you already have attached to it, by covering up the sides that face prevailing winds and extending the roost.

At least the run does look like a good size and there's lots for them to do and dig through in there, so for now that should help mitigate issues that might arise from a crowded coop.

 

[junebuggena]

Coop needs to be bigger, especially since it's their only shelter. You need a coop that will be big enough for them to spend a few days at a time in, when those really nasty storms hit. What you've got is way too small for even 3 or 4.
You have to take into consideration that a chicken takes up about one sq ft, just standing still. The average wingspan is 3 to 4 feet. That means a coop should have, at minimum, 4 to 5 sq ft of floor space per bird.

 

[Harestad Farm]

Coop needs to be bigger, especially since it's their only shelter. You need a coop that will be big enough for them to spend a few days at a time in, when those really nasty storms hit. What you've got is way too small for even 3 or 4.
You have to take into consideration that a chicken takes up about one sq ft, just standing still. The average wingspan is 3 to 4 feet. That means a coop should have, at minimum, 4 to 5 sq ft of floor space per bird.

yes i will be adding on to the coop... the run is completely covered and the upper roosts are plexiglassed in ... there is also a 8x8 covered area in the pen area as well that i will be covering more

 

[April Barta]

South of Seattle! Whoop! We live in Puyallup. I had a friend who just lost 5 of her birds to raccoons. I highly recommend getting them inside and secured at night. This is my first go around with chickens and my flock is 7 weeks old. They've been in the big girl coop for 3 nights. In which if I don't get them shooed into the coop before sunset, then I'll be out there with a flashlight and hand carrying each one in. Which I did one night.

Our run is covered with a clear corrugated roofing and we used 1/2 inch hardware cloth with a 2 ft apron around the run and coop. I think your run has excellent space though! I'd be a happy chicken if I lived there.

 

[Harestad Farm]

ok so i love the idea of converting the whole run into one large coop...ad of course ill be adding vents (lesson learned) I think I will keep that upper rooster area open as it is already plexiglassed though i will leave a few windows... thanks for the info

 

[Harestad Farm]

Birds need 4 square feet of coop space per bird. Lots of ventilation.

UPDATE REMODLE

 

[Harestad Farm]

I think it will help immensely if they can see light in there after dusk so they can get inside and get situated. I agree with Chullicken above that you can probably remedy space, light and ventilation issues by simply expanding the coop into the space you already have attached to it, by covering up the sides that face prevailing winds and extending the roost.

At least the run does look like a good size and there's lots for them to do and dig through in there, so for now that should help mitigate issues that might arise from a crowded coop.

UPDATE

Hey guys, here is an update photo of my coop getting its make over... the common concern by the community here was the coop itself was to small and not enough venting....

So what i did. I knocked out the wall of the coop that faces/ opens to the run, then I boarded up the whole run. then i added another roost to the upper area. Around the upper roost area (their favorite spot) I left the plexi-glass up for natural lighting and to protect them from the elements. Though on the end, the glass stops about 3 inches from the roof to allow for venting. And the back side has about in inch gab . I cut a 1.5 ftx 1.5ft window in the small door and put an awning to keep water out and along the back wall there is another 1.5ftx1.5ft window with awning. The space under the original coop area is still completely open and covered with mechanics wire clothe.... SO I feel I have solve the 2 main concerns , vents and space....

OH THE AND THE PINKISH, RUBY LIPSTICK LOOK WAS A FAIL... We were going for "BARN" color and the paint store gave us "BARNEY"... so once its dried itll be painted over

SOOOOOOO? QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR CONCERNS????