Who built this coop on here????

There are TONS of great pictures of houses and coops on here, built by the BYC'ers, as well as explanations of what worked and what didn't. I would click on the 'coop and run design' at the top of the page, and start looking. As for square footage, it's 3-4 sq ' per standard bird for the house, more for the run.

There is a huge amount of information on this site, but only you can decide what appeals to you. Just keep in mind the amount of space needed, ventilation (check out the 'ventillation' page ), and go from there. Start researching the photos and posts to get ideas. Good luck!

 

That little A-Frame is for 4 birds.

You need 4 sq ft per bird for the coop and 10 sq ft per bird for the run.

I currently have my ten 9 wk olds in a 12 x 12' coop and can't imagine putting them in that itty bitty A-Frame.

I am considering an A-Frame/Run tractor for my 3 little banties I got Wed. however.

 

12 layer hens that will be safe, easily portable, easily accessible, and warm for our winters.

That's too many hens for this style. You might be able to build something to fit your goals that can be moved by a tractor, but not something moveable by hand. The bigger it is, the less safe it is if you have an open bottom and anything other than perfectly flat land, although in Indiana, you might have flat land. In your climate, it is difficult to build a coop in this style that is big enough to handle the proper ventilation without being drafty for this many hens. With the A-frame style, you'll find you don't have a lot of usable space at the top due to the angles.

I really don't think this is the best style for you.

 

10 hens x 4 sq. ft = 40 sq. feet minimum. That is a 5x8 coop at the smallest. Because you live where there are colder winters, you'll likely want to go even bigger as they will need to be kept inside periodically because of temperatures. And even bigger yet if you want to insulate it. There are others who go as low as 1.5 sq. ft. per bird, but they are probably in warmer climates where the chickens spend most of their day outside and go in only to roost.

Your best bet will be a stationary coop - I think your desire to have something that is safe, accessible and warm will negate the possibility of something easily portable. A tractor is not the best design for your needs.

Go to the coop design page and also spend a couple hours going over threads in the coop forum. There are tons of photos and advice. You can also use the search function in the blue bar at the top. You can find elements that are appealing to you and your situation and start designing your own coop.

 

How about if you kept that design but did a mirror image of it on the opposite end of the run? sorta like two apartments? I really like the design too.

 

Big, safe and lightweight are fairly mutually exclusive. You can have two of the three, but all three (and a 12-hen tractor is biiiig) is darn near impossible.

I'd suggest rethinking the portability thing, if you have that many hens.

If you are dead set on a moveable coop (and make sure to consider wehther your land is flat and level enough, and how many months of the year you won't be able to move the coop at all because of snow and mud), the best I can suggest is to make a 2-part assembly -- a moveable coop, and a moveable pen, that 'dock' securely together -- and keep it inside an area with really good predator-strength electric fencing.

Good luck,

Pat

 

Quote:oandrea