We currently have a coop that's just under 8' x 8', with 23 chickens in there (and seven babies in the brooder). It's definitely too small already. They have a 30x40 run, and are let out to free range after around noon each day.
I want to build a much larger coop that will comfortably house up to, say, 30 (maybe up to 40?) chickens. My 12yo daughter wants just the two of us to build it. I'm 5' tall and she's got an inch on me. Girl power! she says, but I'm pretty sure this isn't going to be easy. I don't know anything about building, though I did finish the pallet-based coop my husband built. He is a chemist, not a craftsman, and I'm pretty sure that with a little purple paint with maybe giant green splotches, it could qualify for some sort of Seussical approval. Our biggest problem, aside from the fact that the walls didn't quite meet in some places, was that I just could not figure out how to do a proper roof. I'm still not sure how we're going to manage that part on a new one.
I know there are a lot of coops and pictures on this site. What I'm looking for are suggestions for an approximate coop size for the number of chickens we have (or might have). I'm also wondering if anyone has suggestions that would be understandable to total novices on how to frame a coop, how to add space for windows, and how to do an *easy* roof. Preferably all as budget-conscious as possible. Is that too tall of an order? I hope not. Hoping that some of you experts on here have some advice.
I want to build a much larger coop that will comfortably house up to, say, 30 (maybe up to 40?) chickens. My 12yo daughter wants just the two of us to build it. I'm 5' tall and she's got an inch on me. Girl power! she says, but I'm pretty sure this isn't going to be easy. I don't know anything about building, though I did finish the pallet-based coop my husband built. He is a chemist, not a craftsman, and I'm pretty sure that with a little purple paint with maybe giant green splotches, it could qualify for some sort of Seussical approval. Our biggest problem, aside from the fact that the walls didn't quite meet in some places, was that I just could not figure out how to do a proper roof. I'm still not sure how we're going to manage that part on a new one.
I know there are a lot of coops and pictures on this site. What I'm looking for are suggestions for an approximate coop size for the number of chickens we have (or might have). I'm also wondering if anyone has suggestions that would be understandable to total novices on how to frame a coop, how to add space for windows, and how to do an *easy* roof. Preferably all as budget-conscious as possible. Is that too tall of an order? I hope not. Hoping that some of you experts on here have some advice.
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