What do I need to look for?

[LilCamoHen]

This will be my first coop and I am really excited I want to make sure I do it right. What do I need to look for when it comes to size or durability I live in Southwestern Missouri and am worried about our random temperatures. I am looking to start keeping chickens in the spring of 2018 however I am nervous because I have dogs, I want to make sure my chickens have somewhere they can go if my dogs are being brats. Does anyone have any advice on what I need in means of coop and surrounding area?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Rule of thumb is a minimum of 4 sq. ft. of floor in the coop and min. 10 sq. ft. in a run. Free range may be out of the question if your dogs are in the yard.
Don't worry about temps. Most breeds were developed in climates much colder than MO at times when they didn't worry about chickens and cold.
Unless you're worried about the heat.

 

[LilCamoHen]

Rule of thumb is a minimum of 4 sq. ft. of floor in the coop and min. 10 sq. ft. in a run. Free range may be out of the question if your dogs are in the yard.
Don't worry about temps. Most breeds were developed in climates much colder than MO at times when they didn't worry about chickens and cold.
Unless you're worried about the heat.

I am worried about the heat yes, and thank you for your advice any specific style of coop you recommend?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Something with lots of ventilation. Place it where there is lots of shade.
Mediterranean breeds and some others handle heat very well.

 

[junebuggena]

Don't forget about ventilation, which is important in all weathers and conditions. I suggest you check out the coops section here. Loads of great designs and ideas.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/chicken-coops.12/

 

[PirateGirl]

Since you don't have your chickens yet and have time to plan I highly recommend this book.

http://www.storey.com/books/storeys-guide-to-raising-chickens-3rd-edition/

There is lots of useful information, but there is a whole section on coops and things chickens require in their coop, features, space, cleaning, things you never knew a chicken needed in terms of housing and care, how long the roosts should be, how far from the walls the roosts should be, dimensions the nest boxes should be, and the list goes on.

 

[Dayrel]

Definitely browse the coops area. Tempting as it might be, I'd generally recommend against the prefab coops that you will find at the farm stores. They are generally overpriced and way too flimsy. You'll get 1-2 years out of most of them, while doing much better if you build yourself.

There are a lot of options available, so come up with something that you think might work, then post all of the details here and we'll critique it and point out some details to improve it that you might not have thought of.

 

[Mamabird05]

Hi there. We just started our coop. Grew up raising them but wanted my kids to have the same experience. We have a small closed in run the girls can go out and free range when we aren't home that is sealed and secure from predators and that run opens into a larger run they can go to when we are home. We used dog kennel fence for that one. We have a dog and with the 6ft high fence he can't get in. Hope this helps I've attached pics. Oh and if you need to keep food and bedding outside that's rodent/pest proof and water sealed we used and old fridge on it's back doors open up and it's been working great. Good luck

 

[aart]

Don't forget about ventilation, which is important in all weathers and conditions. I suggest you check out the coops section here. Loads of great designs and ideas.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/chicken-coops.12/

And some that are as 'too small' as the prefab coops, so be-aware.

 

[Peckadoodle]

With good ventilation you won't have to worry about the heat. Might think about orienting the coop to catch the south summer breeze. I can open flaps over hardware-covered windows at the top and bottom for air flow/circulation. Live in Texas and haven't found fried chicken in the coop yet.