Suggestions for coop run design with existing coop

[Amusingpet]

I finally did it, I bought some chicks - so I am a first timer at this. I bought an assortment of 10 chicks for egg production. The chicken coop that came with my house needs some work. Should I enclose the entire coop with framed (2x4's for the frame?) chicken wire or should I use the existing fence as the foundation for the enclosure? Would it be better to just enclose the end without the nesting boxes - sort of a fenced backyard for the coop? The coop in the picture is about 4'x5' with two levels, three nesting boxes (all my chicks will hopefully be hens). I live in a country/slightly suburban area with some feral cats, coyotes, hawks, owls, racoon and opossums. I live in zone 8a. I happen to have three rolls of 2x4 welded wire and T-posts - can I even used that for chickens? I think I bought too many chicks for the size of the coop (once they are full sized). Does the coop need to be larger? Thanks for any suggestions - I really appreciate it.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I think the coop is a great size for 2-3 chickens.
If you like the structure of this coop, you could add on to it so that it is bigger (longer) and you can use this coop as a blueprint. Are there 2 nesting boxes in the current coop that came with the house? That should be enough for the number of chickens you have. I have 16 hens and 3 nesting boxes.
I don't use chicken wire because it doesn't prevent predators well. Hardware cloth is a better choice.
I'm in Zone 4 so I can't really help with preparing for your temperature. Hopefully other have ideas.

 

[Jeanw]

Congrats and welcome! here’s a helpful post, all the best!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/flock-size-for-coop-setup.1412934/post-23198897

 

[Amusingpet]

I think the coop is a great size for 2-3 chickens.
If you like the structure of this coop, you could add on to it so that it is bigger (longer) and you can use this coop as a blueprint. Are there 2 nesting boxes in the current coop that came with the house? That should be enough for the number of chickens you have. I have 16 hens and 3 nesting boxes.
I don't use chicken wire because it doesn't prevent predators well. Hardware cloth is a better choice.
I'm in Zone 4 so I can't really help with preparing for your temperature. Hopefully other have ideas.

There are 3 nesting boxes that stick out from the side of the coop. If the outside of the coop measure 4'x5' that equals 20 sq. feet - but there are two levels - does that mean the coop is 40 sq. feet? Because I've read ' The minimum rule of thumb is about 2 to 3 square feet per chicken inside the chicken coop'. If that rule is true and both levels of the coop count in the total sq. footage, then 10 chicks only need 30 square feet. I don't know if the ground floor counts as part of the coop. Do the chickens only want to hang out and sleep on the top level? Thanks for your suggestions

 

[LateBirdFarms]

Are there roosts in that coop?

 

[rosemarythyme]

There are 3 nesting boxes that stick out from the side of the coop. If the outside of the coop measure 4'x5' that equals 20 sq. feet - but there are two levels - does that mean the coop is 40 sq. feet? Because I've read ' The minimum rule of thumb is about 2 to 3 square feet per chicken inside the chicken coop'.

Suggested minimum on here is 4 sq ft per, so 40 sq ft would be a better minimum to aim for in coop. The COOP is the enclosed portion the nest boxes are in, and the roosts - you have 20 sq ft. Everything else is run space.

Sometimes you can cheat with coop or run space but it increases the chances of there being behavioral issues arising from crowding, that could've been prevented.

Chicken wire is NOT predator safe and should not be used in chicken coops or run unless augmented with other things (i.e. electric and a guardian dog). 2x4 welded wire can be used as a base fence material but still needs to be augmented with either hardware cloth or smaller welded wire with openings no wider than 1/2".

 

[selenarichard]

I finally did it, I bought some chicks - so I am a first timer at this. I bought an assortment of 10 chicks for egg production. The chicken coop that came with my house needs some work. Should I enclose the entire coop with framed (2x4's for the frame?) chicken wire or should I use the existing fence as the foundation for the enclosure? Would it be better to just enclose the end without the nesting boxes - sort of a fenced backyard for the coop? The coop in the picture is about 4'x5' with two levels, three nesting boxes (all my chicks will hopefully be hens). I live in a country/slightly suburban area with some feral cats, coyotes, hawks, owls, racoon and opossums. I live in zone 8a. I happen to have three rolls of 2x4 welded wire and T-posts - can I even used that for chickens? I think I bought too many chicks for the size of the coop (once they are full sized). Does the coop need to be larger? Thanks for any suggestions - I really appreciate it.

I have recently bought a large chicken coop . May be you will find it helpful while differentiating both of the chicken coop.

 

[3KillerBs]

This is my current coop for the NC Sandhills -- I live exactly on the 7b/8a border -- where ventilation is critical for blistering-hot, humid summers. It's sized for 4 chickens at 4'x4', if the feed and water are outside in the run.

Originally, it had an attached run of 4x8, half roofed and half open, with an additional 4 feet available under the coop for 48 square feet and I kept the feed and water in the covered portion.

I'm considering a mostly wire design for my new, larger coop but what you've got seems too open -- no shelter from storm winds and blowing rain.

 

[aart]

Does the coop need to be larger?

Yes.
It's tiny...maybe 3' x 3'?
And the door in the floor takes up space.

I have recently bought a large chicken coop . May be you will find it helpful while differentiating both of the chicken coop.

Too small too.
"120cm x 125cm (including nest box) "
"Accommodates 12 Birds as Specified by RSPCA Guidelines"
That's about 1sqft per bird....factory farm type spacing.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I just looked a little closer and this is probably already on your list to do but don't do the screening on the bottom like they did. Use hardware cloth. I can't tell how the hardware cloth is attached to the top of the coop part, I see some nails so you may want to reinforce that part by using washers so that the cloth can't be pulled off a nail by a predator. The doors look like the cloth is sandwiched between the frame.