y'all are gonna laugh at me

[21hens-incharge]

So...curiosity here....What is the plan for a coop?

As a brooder a lot of people use cardboard boxes and recycle them once done.
You will need either a BIG box or a few attached together.

 

[Susan-B]

So...curiosity here....What is the plan for a coop?

As a brooder a lot of people use cardboard boxes and recycle them once done.
You will need either a BIG box or a few attached together.

There are two coop/run combos I am looking at....But one has a decent sized coop and the run is too small, the other has an OK run but the coop is too small. So I may buy the first and then see if I can find someone to cut a hole in the side and add a run extension

 

[21hens-incharge]

There are two coop/run combos I am looking at....But one has a decent sized coop and the run is too small, the other has an OK run but the coop is too small. So I may buy the first and then see if I can find someone to cut a hole in the side and add a run extension

Prefab coops?

Plan on reinforcing and expanding for sure.

Enjoy the chicken adventures! They are fun critters.

 

[Susan-B]

Prefab coops?

Plan on reinforcing and expanding for sure.

Enjoy the chicken adventures! They are fun critters.

Made by local guys Thanks!

 

[junior67]

I got a big dog crate and I am going to put hardware cloth around it as I have dogs and cats so don't need any paws getting in. Also putting cardboard box around a bit of the sides to contain the mess as much as I can.

Don't forget for a coop you want at least 4 sq ft of space per chicken and run at least 10 sq ft (I have seen some say 12). so the coop needs to be at least 24 sq ft if you do the 6 and 28 if you do the 7. Most prefab ones are much smaller than that. We are building ours since I couldn't find any that were big enough unless I wanted to spend $1500-2000 on just the coop itself.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

In case u dont know, your chick's wing feathers will grow in fast, especially on the pullets. You will need a cover for your brooder by the time the chicks are 7-10 days old, or u Will have escapees! First they will fly up and perch on top of the chick waterer, then the edge of your brooder, then---the adventuresome little cuties will be gone! Soon followed by desperate cheeping because they are cold, lost and hungry, & have discovered that "home" was a good place to be. But if u still havent covered your brooder, they will make their escape again the next day!

 

[Susan-B]

I got a big dog crate and I am going to put hardware cloth around it as I have dogs and cats so don't need any paws getting in. Also putting cardboard box around a bit of the sides to contain the mess as much as I can.

Don't forget for a coop you want at least 4 sq ft of space per chicken and run at least 10 sq ft (I have seen some say 12). so the coop needs to be at least 24 sq ft if you do the 6 and 28 if you do the 7. Most prefab ones are much smaller than that. We are building ours since I couldn't find any that were big enough unless I wanted to spend $1500-2000 on just the coop itself.

I’d love to build one but I can’t do it by myself and my 14-year-old is not very handy/much help .

 

[SLA]

We started with one sturdy box and added windows. Prior to the chicks arrival, Hubbie decided to add another room and a miniature ramp to the door to the new room. After observing how fast these 8 chicks were growing, he added 2 more rooms with “doors”, several perches at various heights, and windows cut in cardboard and and hardware cloth there, as well as hardware cloth above because after 3 weeks they could easily fly out. Husband is a little obsessed!

 

[Dottie the Chicken]

@CHlCKEN wrote an article about chick brooders.