What do you wish you knew before you built your coop and run?

[Chickenpoonumber2]

Wish i would have put in an automatic door from the start!

What automatic door did you get? I've been thinking of an automatic door, but it might have to wait cause I already spent all my chicken money...

 

[IsayOsiyo2U]

Oh yeah. So let's say you want 4 chickens, right? Then when you order, you realize there's a limit of 6. Or maybe you notice one lone chick left in the bin. What's another 1 or 2? Then you hear about the blue egg layers. You'll just get a couple of those to add to the colored basket. Then you start selling eggs and realize you need more chickens because the demand is high.

Next thing you know you have 18 and people are calling you the Crazy Chicken person.

Don’t forget the broodies that will get one over on you every once in a while and one hen will equal one + 12 chicks = 1 hen and potentially 6 roosters and 6 pullets.

 

[IsayOsiyo2U]

Wish I would have come up with a plan enclosing properly and easily for the winter and vice versa.

 

[C Siena]

Absolutely larger. Our first, 2023, was only 8x4.5x8 and I wish it had been at least 6'w. It was pre-built so we had to add ventilation, adjust roosts etc. Okay, I learned some and the Second coop, 2024, husband built per my desired dimensions 8x8x9t. It's wonderful but I need to add a bit more ventilation at the very top...I should have known better. I hatched out 15 in April and now the second coop is full. I didn't think that many would hatch and that only 2 or 3 (so far) are cockerels.
Now I have no room in the two coops for the additional 4-6 I want next spring. So possibly a third coop, learning from the first two and then more that 6 next March.