What coop do I need

[ejtrout31]

i live in the country and need a big coop with a run that’s affordable for 25 silkie bantams if u have any advice plz help.

 

[jthornton]

Big and affordable don't fit in the same sentence. The most affordable is something you build yourself usually. In Mn you need a large covered run for winter. A shed with a run seems to be simple to build depending on your ground.

JT

 

[flyin-lowe]

Do you have the ability to build it yourself? I'm not sure how much space your specific breed needs. I built my last coop (6x8 with 7 foot walls, 8 foot at the peak) and had just under $300.00 in lumber. (coop only, not the run for that price) I re purposed windows and roof metal. Custom built coops this size in my area sell for around $1500-$2000.00. If I couldn't build one myself I would probably go to Lowes or some similar store and get one of the sheds they have in the lot. You can usually get a good sized one for around $750-$1000.00 and then add some perches and ventilation. That will get you started.

 

[HenHouse4Life]

As stated above a shed or a build one yourself is going to make you a much happier chicken keeper in the long run. Prefab coops are notorious for poor, flimsy construction and not adequate space for a nice flock.... plus you will most likely end up making modifications to one.
Best to spend your hard earned dollars doing it right the first time around.

 

[PirateGirl]

What is your budget?
What one person considers "affordable" another cannot.
Search within the BYC site for threads on building coops on a budget. There's lots of great ideas for scavenging materials, re-purposing other structures, getting things for free/cheap.

 

[NNYchick]

Here is a link to a thread I started for my Silkie Coop. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/construction-finished-on-my-silkies-coop-expansion.1273867/ We built mine in stages. It is 28ft long and 8ft wide, I house 17 silkies and only silkies. A few things to consider with silkie when planning their coop. 1) They don't do well when wet feather structure prevents them from repelling any water and they take forever to dry. So in the winter, cool spring, fall, and summer rains they really need space because they will be inside.
2) They don't fly-they are a ground bird so many (there are exceptions to the rule) don't roost or utilize vertical space well. Nest box need to be low. All of these things take up floor space. They prefer to sleep on the ground huddled together.
3) Silkie top crest can limit vision so many will not use ramps.
From my research many of the coop set ups you see that have good utilization of space don't work well with silkies because they don't roost (man I wish I could utilize poop boards under roost) or use nest boxes up higher.
For 25 silkie you are going to need a lot of space in MN as you are deal with cold harsh winters like my self. If you have limited funds and carpentry skills look at the hoop coop ideas, this will probably give you the best size for least amount of money and easy to keep adding more cattle panels to increase size. Blooie has a really nice hoop coop run and set up for NW Wyoming winters if you check out her page.