Wire Pen in garage instead of a regular coop?

[nancypo]

I would go outside, outside, outside. We have very cold winters here, but use a heat lamp wired in during the below freezing weather. During the very hot weather, the coop is shaded and they are out a lot (I'm off summers). Fresh air is very important, not to mention the odor in your garage...

 

[nancypo]

I for got, and for their mental health, outside. They can watch the seasons change, see nature around them, keeps them interested. They'd probably get depressed inside...

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
What if you wrap the run around so that part of it is on the E side on part of the patio. No grass/dirt is fine, especially in the winter (it'd be frozen anyhow!), just put down something else over the concrete or pavers or whatever it is (see my 'fixing a muddy run' page, link in .sig below, for discussion of the options)

Then they could have sun part-day all year round, which is very beneficial; you could sit on the patio watching them, which is very beneficial too

; and in wintertime you could shelter enough of the N part of the run for them to be able to whip round to the more sheltered E facing portion so they could actually go outside all year round.

Pat

 

[limabean]

Sadly that would not work - the patio is usually shady too (sun blocked by our house and neighbours house), plus the regular door to the garage is right there, plus it's a fairly small patio and we use it for eating, kids playing, barbecueing... '

Now I am starting to wonder if I should forget the garage idea and build a coop on the other side of the yard where it gets more sun.

 

[patandchickens]

Not even room for a tiny "sunporch"? Anything would be useful, especialy if this will only be a few chickens (I forget, how many are you planning on?)

The garage IS a really good place for chickens in a cold winter, it would be a shame to forego it... maybe you *could* just make the indoor pen really really ample in size and keep them in all winter except on the very nicest days.

Pat

 

[limabean]

At most a 3ish square foot space. But we could build the pen well out into the yard where there is more sun.
How bad is the dust....will we be covering our bikes in sheets?

 

[patandchickens]

How many chickens are we talking here? A 3x3 space is useful for three chickens, and three chickens won't produce THAT much dust in a garage (if pen has mostly solid walls). OTOH if it's going to be a dozen chickens, then yeah, there may be issues.

Pat

 

[limabean]

3 chickens. But NOT a 3x3 space. More like 1.7 x 1.7 = 3 square feet. Just can't create more useable space than that...and besides, the only decent garden growth I have is there, with a lovely patch of daylillies!