Ms. Cluckingly,
I hear your pain. Last year I, a fifty-something English teacher, built my playhouse coop on my own and there was a point where I was totally exhausted with coop burnout. You have my empathy.
Okay, here's an idea. You say the chooks are young so you can get away with less space for a short period of time. My coop is 4'x6' with an built-in run of 6'x10' including the space under the house. The thing was enclosed in hardware cloth for security. It's the minimum but I would let them into the yard for some romp time until winter came and they turned the yard into a lunar landscape. Then I build a 100 sq foot addition to the run and cut a small hole in the hardware cloth and put another small chicken door there. This run I made out of chicken wire. Of note is that I live in town but I'm three houses from the Colorado River and I've had raccoons in the yard in the past. During the day, I let them into the large run and only out into the yard for a few hours when I come home from work.
Their sleeping space has to be secure against predators. If you are in the city perhaps a situation similar to mine would work; where you could just put a four or five foot fence of chicken wire or welded wire for them during the daytime but have a secure, contained coop for them.
If you only have 36 sq. feet of run for six birds you're likely to have cannibalism and severe pecking. They need more room unless you are planning to give them free range of the yard.
Take some time off if necessary. At one point, I had to take two or three and leave eleven 8 week old chicks in a house that was meant for three adult birds. I just had to take the days off or I would have gone nuts.
Good luck, Mary
I hear your pain. Last year I, a fifty-something English teacher, built my playhouse coop on my own and there was a point where I was totally exhausted with coop burnout. You have my empathy.
Okay, here's an idea. You say the chooks are young so you can get away with less space for a short period of time. My coop is 4'x6' with an built-in run of 6'x10' including the space under the house. The thing was enclosed in hardware cloth for security. It's the minimum but I would let them into the yard for some romp time until winter came and they turned the yard into a lunar landscape. Then I build a 100 sq foot addition to the run and cut a small hole in the hardware cloth and put another small chicken door there. This run I made out of chicken wire. Of note is that I live in town but I'm three houses from the Colorado River and I've had raccoons in the yard in the past. During the day, I let them into the large run and only out into the yard for a few hours when I come home from work.
Their sleeping space has to be secure against predators. If you are in the city perhaps a situation similar to mine would work; where you could just put a four or five foot fence of chicken wire or welded wire for them during the daytime but have a secure, contained coop for them.
If you only have 36 sq. feet of run for six birds you're likely to have cannibalism and severe pecking. They need more room unless you are planning to give them free range of the yard.
Take some time off if necessary. At one point, I had to take two or three and leave eleven 8 week old chicks in a house that was meant for three adult birds. I just had to take the days off or I would have gone nuts.
Good luck, Mary
