Small coop: where to put feed? Attracting nuisances i.e. raccoons.

[alknoll]

Hi all,

This is my first post here on BackyardChickens.com, I want to begin by thanking you for your time reading my post. My husband and I got 6 chicks in April and they are doing really well!

We decided to order a coop from UrbanNorthern.com, as we weren't ready to build our own yet. Link is here. The hen house is 26" x 53.5". At first, I had a 7lb feeder inside the coop with the hens, but that resulted in all 6 birds sleeping in the nesting boxes. Now I have moved the feeder to the run portion, and last night, we had a raccoon dig underneath the coop and spill all the food (pics attached). It looks like they even tried to get into the house itself.

Should I reinforce my run (fox apron, cement block lining) and leave the feeder where it is, invest in a Grandpa feeder, or does anyone have any other ideas?

I also keep the water out of the coop. 8-12 hours at night without water seems like a lot, but I don't want my coop to get wet, and the birds seem okay with it.

Any suggestions on how to improve our setup are most welcome. I let the birds free range during the day, since my Isa Brown routinely flies over the fence (we have a bigger run attached for them) anyway. I need to replace the chicken wire with a higher fence.

Thanks again.
Arie

 

[Mamatomany123]

First,that coop is way too small for 6 birds. It can, at max, hold 3 birds. And that's pushing it.
For the digging, you can attach an anti dig skirt. It hardware cloth attached to the bottom of your setup skirted outwards a few feet. I also would not leave my birds that long without water but I'm unsure of how you should fix that situation since the coop is already too small.

 

[alknoll]

First,that coop is way too small for 6 birds. It can, at max, hold 3 birds. And that's pushing it.
For the digging, you can attach an anti dig skirt. It hardware cloth attached to the bottom of your setup skirted outwards a few feet. I also would not leave my birds that long without water but I'm unsure of how you should fix that situation since the coop is already too small.

Thank you Mamatomany123 for your response. I will be installing an "anti dig skirt" tonight ( what I called the fox apron ). I disagree that the coop is too small, perhaps pictures do not do the coop justice, but there is quite a bit of space in there for all 6 hens - they actually prefer to all squish in to the nesting boxes together at the beginning of the night and then move out to the roosts. I have built a roost ladder so they can use the vertical space as well. And, as I mentioned, they free range all day, so I am not worried about the space. We will be building a bigger coop for them some day, something more like a small shed or barn, and this will be used for chicks.

Thanks again,
Arie

 

[Mamatomany123]

Thank you Mamatomany123 for your response. I will be installing an "anti dig skirt" tonight ( what I called the fox apron ). I disagree that the coop is too small, perhaps pictures do not do the coop justice, but there is quite a bit of space in there for all 6 hens - they actually prefer to all squish in to the nesting boxes together at the beginning of the night and then move out to the roosts. I have built a roost ladder so they can use the vertical space as well. And, as I mentioned, they free range all day, so I am not worried about the space. We will be building a bigger coop for them some day, something more like a small shed or barn, and this will be used for chicks.

Thanks again,
Arie

I'm not saying it's too small as an opinion. I'm saying it's too small because each bird requires a minimum of 4 sq ft each. Your coop is giving them a little over 1 sq ft each.

Just stating facts. I, of course, cant make you give them a bigger space. Just provide information that may not be known.

 

[TedP]

I would hang the feeder and waterer from the top of the run to give them maximum floor space. Also, take it out of the run at night so the creatures are not as tempted to get in there.
I also block my nest area off at night since my hens made it a habit of sleeping in there and pooping. Ugh.
I have always locked them up at night without their food and water with no issues.
That's a cute coop!

 

[katarobb]

Hi Arie - First, congrats on surviving a raccoon attack. That is my biggest fear and I understand they are pretty clever so you must have a decent setup. Getting an apron on as quick as possible is a good idea. How old are your birds? We are in a similar situation. I have four red sex linked hens that are five months old. I also purchased a coop from Urban Northern though not the same one. First thing I did was add locks on the doors and an apron of hardware cloth.

My birds do not free range so almost immediately I realized that the run space was too small for them. Second thing I did was build a run extension. All was well for a little while but I have the same problem as you with lack of space for food/water. I got a grampa feeder, which I love, but it takes up too much space in the run. The chickens kick litter around and it gets jammed under the pedal of the feeder so I have to constantly dig it out. They also kick litter into their water tray so that is always dirty. I think this would all be better if they had a bigger run or a different shape (my run is long and narrow).

My hens also slept in a pile in the nest boxes right from the start. That became a problem once they started laying. So the next thing I did was add a perch inside that they can sleep on and have now trained them not to sleep in the nest boxes. However, for the last three or four nights, they don't go inside at night on their own. I believe it's because they have grown to full size and are too cramped inside.

The Urban Northern coop was good to get me started and helped me figure out what features I need and want in a new coop, but I'm now making plans to build my own bigger and better as soon as possible.

 

[katarobb]

Another thing I did immediately was take the ramp out. I'm not sure if this is recommended but it didn't seem to bother my birds at all and it gave me a little more space in the run. They just jump up into the coop when they want to go inside.

 

[alknoll]

I'm not saying it's too small as an opinion. I'm saying it's too small because each bird requires a minimum of 4 sq ft each. Your coop is giving them a little over 1 sq ft each.

Just stating facts. I, of course, cant make you give them a bigger space. Just provide information that may not be known.

Thanks, Mamatomany123, I actually did not know there were numbers associated with spacing requirements, I simply went by the recommendations of the coop manufacturer and the reviews. This along with the posts by others have me thinking I should get to work on my new coop setup sooner rather than later.. Again, thank you for your reply.

 

[alknoll]

I would hang the feeder and waterer from the top of the run to give them maximum floor space. Also, take it out of the run at night so the creatures are not as tempted to get in there.
I also block my nest area off at night since my hens made it a habit of sleeping in there and pooping. Ugh.
I have always locked them up at night without their food and water with no issues.
That's a cute coop!

Blocking off the nesting boxes: this is a genius idea! And I will hang the feeder, thanks for the suggestion! I wanted to avoid bringing the food in at night (extra work for me, hehe), but it is probably what I should do to deter pests.

 

[alknoll]

Hi Arie - First, congrats on surviving a raccoon attack. That is my biggest fear and I understand they are pretty clever so you must have a decent setup. Getting an apron on as quick as possible is a good idea. How old are your birds? We are in a similar situation. I have four red sex linked hens that are five months old. I also purchased a coop from Urban Northern though not the same one. First thing I did was add locks on the doors and an apron of hardware cloth.

My birds do not free range so almost immediately I realized that the run space was too small for them. Second thing I did was build a run extension. All was well for a little while but I have the same problem as you with lack of space for food/water. I got a grampa feeder, which I love, but it takes up too much space in the run. The chickens kick litter around and it gets jammed under the pedal of the feeder so I have to constantly dig it out. They also kick litter into their water tray so that is always dirty. I think this would all be better if they had a bigger run or a different shape (my run is long and narrow).

My hens also slept in a pile in the nest boxes right from the start. That became a problem once they started laying. So the next thing I did was add a perch inside that they can sleep on and have now trained them not to sleep in the nest boxes. However, for the last three or four nights, they don't go inside at night on their own. I believe it's because they have grown to full size and are too cramped inside.

The Urban Northern coop was good to get me started and helped me figure out what features I need and want in a new coop, but I'm now making plans to build my own bigger and better as soon as possible.

Hi @katarobb ! My birds are about 4 months old. We are adding locks (my husband had apparently already purchased some) and the apron tonight (we also already have the material - just haven't done it yet!).

Thank you for sharing about your Grandpa feeder, I also wondered if the run area attached to coop would be too small to accommodate this, and I wasn't sure I wanted to put it in the bigger run we made.

You have a good point that I may see a change in their behavior (i.e. not going inside at night on their own) once they are full grown.

Your comment as well as the previous comment about the coop being too small have me thinking that I should probably get to work building our new setup before the winter - I worry that once it gets cold out and the birds don't want to come outside as much, they may feel the space limitations more than they do now. We are in the process of building a garden shed, which has turned into quite the project, but perhaps my husband would let me use it as a coop until spring.

What are your plans for a new coop? Where are you from/what's the climate like?

Good to connect with you!
Arie