Questions!

[WILIFORD]

What about this one? https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-extra-large-sentinel-chicken-c

That looks like it would do the job, depending on the number of chickens your going to have. It says it will house up to 14 chickens, it wont. If you look at the picture with the ad they only have 8 chickens in there, imagine what it would look like with 6 more in the run. I agree with others, you can save a lot of money and build it yourself. Don't be intimidated by it, it doesn't have to be perfect. And then you can build it to suit your needs and location. I've seen where people have bought used wooden sheds off of the classifieds, did a few modifications, added some fresh paint and had a nice setup when they were done. And saved $$$$

 

[bobbi-j]

In my opinion, the more coop space the better. You can get by with less in the summer, but if you have cold, snowy winters, your birds will likely be indoors for several months. This can lead to behavioral issues as mentioned earlier.
If you choose to hatch out chicks, you’ll need more space. If you can find a used shed, as mentioned in other posts, you can make a pretty nice coop with plenty of space for not a lot of extra money.

What are your plans for the chicks you would hatch? Keep the females to replace as layers? What will you do with the older hens? How about the cockerels? Bachelor pad? Eat them? It can be hard to find new homes for them.

If you want to be a good neighbor and keep them on your property, I would strongly suggest a covered, fenced in area.

 

[whispurr]

In my opinion, the more coop space the better. You can get by with less in the summer, but if you have cold, snowy winters, your birds will likely be indoors for several months. This can lead to behavioral issues as mentioned earlier.
If you choose to hatch out chicks, you’ll need more space. If you can find a used shed, as mentioned in other posts, you can make a pretty nice coop with plenty of space for not a lot of extra money.

What are your plans for the chicks you would hatch? Keep the females to replace as layers? What will you do with the older hens? How about the cockerels? Bachelor pad? Eat them? It can be hard to find new homes for them.

If you want to be a good neighbor and keep them on your property, I would strongly suggest a covered, fenced in area.

We got the bigger of the two coops I posted here. We figure we can change it as needed. It's a start though. I did look for a shed online (facebook/craigslist) but was unsuccessful. This is also going in our yard so looks matter.

We wouldn't hatch a lot of chicks. Yes, they will be kept to replace older hens. Probably give away or eat extra roosters. We've never killed a chicken but want to learn how. Older hens would probably become cat food. Or if we get attached they can retire.

We have 2.5 acres as does everyone around us, except the horse farm on one side. We also have 2 other neighbors that have hens and roosters so we aren't worried about the noise. I got yelled at by a rooster on my way out today. lol

 

[whispurr]

That looks like it would do the job, depending on the number of chickens your going to have. It says it will house up to 14 chickens, it wont. If you look at the picture with the ad they only have 8 chickens in there, imagine what it would look like with 6 more in the run. I agree with others, you can save a lot of money and build it yourself. Don't be intimidated by it, it doesn't have to be perfect. And then you can build it to suit your needs and location. I've seen where people have bought used wooden sheds off of the classifieds, did a few modifications, added some fresh paint and had a nice setup when they were done. And saved $$$$

We went with this one: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-defender-chicken-coop-2020-1168239n. I know it's not ideal but it's the fastest and easiest way to get going. We can change things later if we want.

I did look for sheds but didn't find any local ones. We can do that later. We aren't really do-ers so getting one and fixing it isn't our thing. We're paying to have it built.

 

[Brooks_]

We went with this one: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-defender-chicken-coop-2020-1168239n. I know it's not ideal but it's the fastest and easiest way to get going. We can change things later if we want.

I did look for sheds but didn't find any local ones. We can do that later. We aren't really do-ers so getting one and fixing it isn't our thing. We're paying to have it built.

That is the better of the two.

I think both of these sheds have a lot of potential. For your later consideration.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rubbermaid-7-ft-x-7-ft-Storage-Shed-2119053/313801019

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Suncast-Vista-7-ft-x-7-ft-Resin-Storage-Shed-BMS7702/302345861

What as your general location again?

 

[whispurr]

That is the better of the two.

I think both of these sheds have a lot of potential. For your later consideration.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rubbermaid-7-ft-x-7-ft-Storage-Shed-2119053/313801019

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Suncast-Vista-7-ft-x-7-ft-Resin-Storage-Shed-BMS7702/302345861

What as your general location again?

I'm in the Raleigh area. NC. I looked at those sheds but we haven't had the best of luck with those plastic sheds. I would think it would be difficult to modify one of those?

 

[bobbi-j]

I'm in the Raleigh area. NC. I looked at those sheds but we haven't had the best of luck with those plastic sheds. I would think it would be difficult to modify one of those?

I don’t know that you could get good ventilation with a plastic shed. Definitely a must when housing chickens over winter.