I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. I've been studying BYC and a few other resources for more than a year now and thought I was sufficiently equipped for chickens but now am in a bit of trouble. Here is the background (pardon the long-windedness). When we first began planning this a year ago the local feed store informed us that the minimum flock for our area was 3 birds. So we bought a used 3' x5' coop last summer that the previous owner said housed 6 birds comfortably, although she modified the little run area to open onto a larger yard. We knew this coop was a bit of a "starter home" but we had no clue how fast it would become woefully inadequate. In March, we anxiously went in to buy our chicks and were informed that the minimum was 5, not 3. FWIW, we wound up with 1 BO, 1 RIR, 1 Golden Comet, 1 Silver Laced Wyandotte and 1 Araucana (Ameraucana?). It seemed like winter would never end here in north central Maryland but one day 2 weeks ago we got our 4 days of spring and we began introducing the girls to the great outdoors. I think we brought them back to the brooder about 3 nights before summer showed up and it seemed fine to leave them in their outdoor digs 24/7. It is now abundantly clear that the girls need a new home ASAP. Hubby and I are absolutely not capable of building a coop. It is just not an option. Trust me! We have asked some handymen and the turnaround time is the end of summer. So that leaves prefab. I have read the horror stories about prefabs here and we are lucky to have some local coop/shed/barn builders and we have actually checked a few out in person and found them pretty sturdy (solid wood, and no chicken wire - it's hardware cloth on the windows and vents and the run is enclosed with a powder-coated heavy-gauge wire mesh). They seem to be reasonably ventilated and much MUCH easier to clean than the glorified canary cage we have now. The turnaround time seems to be 3-4 weeks and yes, they are pricey but so is a trip to the trauma center and/or divorce court, which is where we would wind up should hubby and I try to build a coop, or even modify a shed.
If you have stuck with me this long, bless you. You are a saint. Here come my questions (finally!) - how should I prep the site for this coop? The one I have in mind is the 5th one down on this page:
http://www.penndutchstructures.com/chicken-coops-combination.htm
It has a 36 sq ft run, and I have read multiple places that 4 sq ft/ bird is minimum for standard breeds, so this should suffice our five, right? Plus, someday we hope to create a little yard for supervised play. If I understand the specs correctly, the coop itself is 24 sq ft, which again (in theory?) is OK for our flock - judging by our past two winters the girls will see an awful lot of the inside of the coop November through March. My biggest question is since this thing is on 4x4 skids, what is the best way to deter predators and keep the run material(s) in the run? I was going to line the base of the outside with some sort big pavers like Castle Wall Blocks, since I have built garden walls with these in the past. Would this be adequate? Would lumber be better? (I think I have the tools and skills to do that if necessary). Also, I was pondering the material inside the run, and since there are some local quarries was thinking of river sand in all or part of the run. Our little yard is nice and flat and pouring a concrete pad is not an option at this point. Also, We would like to have the option of relocating the coop if necessary. Any input would be much appreciated - I feel horrible I have put the girls in this mess.
If you have stuck with me this long, bless you. You are a saint. Here come my questions (finally!) - how should I prep the site for this coop? The one I have in mind is the 5th one down on this page:
http://www.penndutchstructures.com/chicken-coops-combination.htm
It has a 36 sq ft run, and I have read multiple places that 4 sq ft/ bird is minimum for standard breeds, so this should suffice our five, right? Plus, someday we hope to create a little yard for supervised play. If I understand the specs correctly, the coop itself is 24 sq ft, which again (in theory?) is OK for our flock - judging by our past two winters the girls will see an awful lot of the inside of the coop November through March. My biggest question is since this thing is on 4x4 skids, what is the best way to deter predators and keep the run material(s) in the run? I was going to line the base of the outside with some sort big pavers like Castle Wall Blocks, since I have built garden walls with these in the past. Would this be adequate? Would lumber be better? (I think I have the tools and skills to do that if necessary). Also, I was pondering the material inside the run, and since there are some local quarries was thinking of river sand in all or part of the run. Our little yard is nice and flat and pouring a concrete pad is not an option at this point. Also, We would like to have the option of relocating the coop if necessary. Any input would be much appreciated - I feel horrible I have put the girls in this mess.