Chicken Coop Question

[jenbrdsly]

Which one should I buy for 3-4 chickens?

 

I kind of like the ones here, but I don't know anything about chickens yet. Are there better ones out there?

[Dandelion]

Those look nice but they seem a bit expensive.

 

Our chicken coop came with our property. I believe the previous owners built it themselves. The coop as well as the run are much bigger than what I see on the page you linked, and I doubt they cost that much to build. Are you or your DH handy at all? You could probably build something nice for under $200.

[charcat13]

Yea, my husband designed and built ours. It's simple but every bit as functional as those for a fraction of the price.

[Erica in OR]

Yea, my husband designed and built ours. It's simple but every bit as functional as those for a fraction of the price.

 

 

Mine, too. Ours is a chicken tractor, so we can drag it to fresh grass when we need to.

 

If you don't want to build one, check out your local Craigslist. Ours has many listings for selling coops.

 

Erica in OR

[Donna]

My dh built our coop for 16 chickens for $400. I think those are very expensive. Here's a picture of our coop while it was being built. You would not need anything nearly so big for 3-4 chickens and it wouldn't take much money at all to build. You just need to be able to close them in, have a nesting box or two, and a tree branch for a roost at night.

[somo_chickenlady]

I agree, just build one. Much cheaper that way. It doesn't need to be fancy, it just needs to do its job. ;)

[jenbrdsly]

Sigh.... My problem is that it's taken a few years to get the green-light from my DH to get chickens in the first place. Asking him to build a coop would be pushing it!

 

Here's one from Craigslist that is cheaper. But I searched around on the internet, and I think it's really a "Ware Premium Chicken Coop" which consistently gets low grades for quality and workmanship. Plus I'd have to put it together. I'm okay with assembling Ikea furniture, but that's about it.

[bry's-gal]

If possible, try to get one bigger then what you think you need! It seems like chickens are like potato chips- you can't stop at just one! :D

[Ruby Rose]

If you have the money and not the manpower get what you want. You could probably hire someone to do the building for you. We made our coop out of an old swing set platform (the fort like structure that the slide connects to). Someone was throwing it out. Added boards we had and painted it. Turn out great. The run addition was about $200. Chicken wire was the most expensive part.

 

I've seen people use dog houses and kids plastic playhouses just modified. To get your creative juices flowing here are some recycled chicken coops. https://www.google.com/search?q=recycled+chicken+coops&hl=en&client=safari&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=JQg1UcDtJYXa8ASQ3oAQ&ved=0CDcQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=672

[nandmsmom]

That's a great design but pricey. Maybe if you appeal to your husbands frugal side? Definitely get bigger than you think you need. Chickens are like potato chips, you can't stop getting them.

[jenbrdsly]

Here's another question. I'm totally confused about wheter I should get a coop with a run, a tractor, or just a coop. If you just have a coop and let your chickens go free range, how do you keep rats from coming into the coop and eating the food? How do you keep the chickens from destroying your vegetable garden?

 

But if you got with a traditional coop, do you need wire at the bottom of the cage to keep rats from crawling under?

 

Admittedly the "rodent issue" is a big deterent. It's been my DH's winning argument for many years now. :)

[nandmsmom]

I started with a tractor. We had six hens in it and I would move it around the yard all summer and into the garden for fall cleanup. I'm in New England, so in winter they went to a sheltered spot to protect them. I liked the tractor for many reasons, but will caution that hens like to take dust baths. To do this, they will dig up your yard. Even moving them frequently, they still caused some damage in spots. They weren't as safe and I lost 2 to raccoons reaching under the coop.

 

I don't free range for several reasons. We have 2 lab dogs, and several neighborhood dogs that I'm afraid would cause problems. We also have a large predator population.

 

Now I have 9 hens in a coop that could hold twice as many. It is a raised coop with a large run and extra run space under the coop. The design is similar to the link posted, just larger. To keep unwanted critters out, we have large brick pavers surrounding the coop bottom. This is on top of thick wood running along the bottom. In two years we've never had an issue. When they were in the tractor, critters would get in and take their food because the tractor did not sit flush with the ground out of necessity. Next to the coop I have a large rubbermaid tub that holds all food and supplements that they get.

 

I will tell you that DH was quite resistant, but has really grown to love the hens. Those eggs are just amazing. He came home one day complaining about a tasteless hard boiled egg he got on a salad bar. My girls get lots of leftovers from the house, weeds and things from the garden, bugs and worms that the kids love to give them, and lots of other goodies. They are my composters now. I do still have a compost pile for things they can't eat or don't like, but it gets less use these days.

[msjones]

Here's another question. I'm totally confused about wheter I should get a coop with a run, a tractor, or just a coop. If you just have a coop and let your chickens go free range, how do you keep rats from coming into the coop and eating the food? How do you keep the chickens from destroying your vegetable garden?

 

But if you got with a traditional coop, do you need wire at the bottom of the cage to keep rats from crawling under?

 

Admittedly the "rodent issue" is a big deterent. It's been my DH's winning argument for many years now. :)

 

 

The ugly truth is that if you don't have an enclosed run the chickens will take over your backyard.

 

There will be chicken messy poop everywhere. They are prolific poopers. And they will dig in garden beds and eat whatever looks tasty to them.

 

Unless you are quite benevolent about sharing your yard/garden/patio/lawn-chairs, you must have a run.

 

And yes, you need to rodent-proof and raccoon-proof your coop. A cement floor is best. But lining the floor tightly with chicken wire is a cheaper option.

 

It's a lot of work for those lovely chickens and fresh eggs!

[WishboneDawn]

Check out http://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coops. There is nothing special about a coop that requires it be much more then a plywood box. You need to keep predators out, keep the wind and rain off the hens and have a place for them to roost and lay eggs. An old kid's playhouse, a used shed, even a shipping crate would work well. Just make sure any openings can be secured and there's lots of ventilation at the top of the structure for moisture and ammonia fumes to escape. The only reason for the coops you're looking at is aesthetics.

 

Our first coop was a 5' by 7' chain link dug run with a piece of plywood thrown over the top and 3 sides wrapped in tarp. That's still what we use for meat chickens and turkeys when we have them from spring to fall.

 

My caution would be with fencing. Our chickens are free range but where we have fencing (for our meaties) we use hardware cloth, not chicken wire. Chicken wire is useless in keeping predators out.

[Ruby Rose]

We were lucky with the placement of our run. Previous owners had had a shed there so there were cement blocks around the perimeter that we just followed for the size and shape of our run. This keeps critters from digging their way in. Another option is to bury wire about a foot down around the perimeter of the run. It MUST be well constructed for the safety of your chickens.

 

I personally have the weirdest chickens on the planet. They have a lovely coop, but over the summer I put in varies perches in the run. They decided it was much cooler to sleep out there. They have continued this practice through the winter and even during a stinking hurricane where I was out in the rain slipping and sliding around trying to get them inside. My run is is fully enclosed on the sides and roof. I used the fabric from an old trampoline as shade. Turns out it keeps the rain from pouring down on them, but they just prefer it outside. They only go in the coop to lay eggs. They are strange, but I love them.

 

And yes, they will tear up your yard in an instant. I've been putting mine out in the yard in various locations. I have to change the spot everyday because in 2 days they would have it down to dirt. I'm about to build a larger movable enclosure and have them get the garden ready for the new Spring planting. They are great at getting the grass out of the way.

 

I have 6 Gold Sex Links. They are beautiful, hardy, friendly, and each one consistently lays and egg a day. They have been doing this since 16 weeks old.

[Donna]

Here's another question. I'm totally confused about wheter I should get a coop with a run, a tractor, or just a coop. If you just have a coop and let your chickens go free range, how do you keep rats from coming into the coop and eating the food? How do you keep the chickens from destroying your vegetable garden?

 

But if you got with a traditional coop, do you need wire at the bottom of the cage to keep rats from crawling under?

 

Admittedly the "rodent issue" is a big deterent. It's been my DH's winning argument for many years now. :)

 

Ha! I didn't realize it was you who asked the question initially until I just read the added posts on the thread. You've already seen our coop on the blog. Congrats on finally getting dh to relent!

 

We have not had a problem with rats. We started with our girls free ranging but the poop was everywhere and I didn't like it on the patio plus they completely destroyed my 3 raised beds because they became wonderful dust baths. We put the girls into a fenced area for the winter and are moving them to the back of the yard in the summer. I let them out in the morning and close them in, with their food, at night to keep other critters from eating their food.

[Bocky]

Here's where we're getting our coop in CA. http://www.coopsbyfaith.com/standard_models.html The smaller ones are pretty reasonable.

 

We just got three adorable chicks this weekend. Dd 11 is over the moon.

[Lucy the Valiant]

We buried a foot of chicken wire all the way around the run and (knock on wood) haven't had rat problems. (Keep the food in galvanized trash cans.) We had an enormous owl take 2 chickens, so we had to put a fence-roof on the run.

 

What about hiring a semi-handy teenager to build one for you? They truly don't have to be beautiful, and it would be a GREAT first "big" project for an aspiring teen, and probably wouldn't cost nearly what those prefab ones do, and be sturdier, too! :)

 

Chickens really don't mind if something's a little crooked or even recycled. :)

[jenbrdsly]

Ha! I didn't realize it was you who asked the question initially until I just read the added posts on the thread. You've already seen our coop on the blog. Congrats on finally getting dh to relent!

 

 

 

 

;) It has been a loooooooooong conversation.

 

Thank you to everyone who has responded. You have definitely answered my question about chicken tractors. Our yard is really lumpy in spots, so it sounds like we would have raccoon issues. Free range would be awful because of our garden. If chickens polished off my DH's raspberries that would pretty awful!

 

Thanks also for the links to other types of prefab coops. I think my plan is forming... I'll get a large coop/run combo that is bigger than needed for 3-4 birds. Then I'll bury hardware wire around the perimeter and/or surround the perimeter with brick pavers. We have tons of worms in our compost bins, so it would be no problem making sure they get worms as a frequent treat.

 

Then maybe when the kids and I are in the yard we can let them out for fun while we are there to watch? Or would that cause problems?

 

Also, do I need a slide out tray on my coop?

[Ruby Rose]

 

Then maybe when the kids and I are in the yard we can let them out for fun while we are there to watch? Or would that cause problems?

 

They will poop all over the yard, but rain washes it away.

 

Also, do I need a slide out tray on my coop?

 

Research the deep litter method. You only have clean the coop yearly or bi-yearly.

[SailorMom]

OK - I just had to share my funny...

 

I read the titles as "chicken co-op"... What curriculum would one use exactly???

 

:rofl:

[Ellie]

OK - I just had to share my funny...

 

I read the titles as "chicken co-op"... What curriculum would one use exactly???

 

:rofl:

 

:rofl:

 

I always think "chicken coop" when people ask about co-ops. I think that hyphen needs to be there, lol.

[jenn-]

This is the hard part of the year when everyone starts talking about getting chickens and I want some but unlike you, my DH hasn't relented yet. :thumbdown: I hope you have fun with your new adventure.

[Vida Winter]

I have a small coop that we bought as a pre-fab kit. It works but drives me crazy. The main door is small and it is hard to clean out - I practically have to crawl into the coop to reach the back with the pitchfork. This isn't such a problem in the summer but right now there is a ton of snow piled up, making access even harder.

 

We have a large enclosed dog run where I am going to build a new coop - larger, easier to clean, with a big door. The dog run will provide a small chicken yard to give the "ladies" a bit of freedom to walk around safely. By the time I'm finished it'll probably look like a little barn and barnyard. It probably won't be pretty but it will be functional. We have three chickens now and will get about 4-5 more chicks this spring.

[Susan in TN]

Which one should I buy for 3-4 chickens?

 

I kind of like the ones here, but I don't know anything about chickens yet. Are there better ones out there?

 

 

Dh and ds built our coop/run that is very similar to the combo coops in your link - it's about 4'w x 5'h x 8'd and has housed 7 chickens very happily for 5 years now. Due to city regulations, we can't let them out, so I thought they'd start to fight or get sick, but they are happy as clams and very healthy It cost a good $800+ to build - way more expensive than I expected, but the thing is like Fort Knox. Very solid and invader-proof (coyotes, foxes, racoons, etc.) So actually the prices listed on your favorites don't sound unreasonable. I actually like the design of those combo coops better than ours - especially with the doors on the side and very wide henhouse door for easy access and cleaning.

 

One thing to consider is the height of the run - a 6'h run is much easier to get into than a 4 1/2'. Our run is 5'h and is pretty uncomfortable to get into on that rare occassion.

[Susan in TN]

Here's another question. I'm totally confused about wheter I should get a coop with a run, a tractor, or just a coop. If you just have a coop and let your chickens go free range, how do you keep rats from coming into the coop and eating the food? How do you keep the chickens from destroying your vegetable garden?

 

But if you got with a traditional coop, do you need wire at the bottom of the cage to keep rats from crawling under?

 

Admittedly the "rodent issue" is a big deterent. It's been my DH's winning argument for many years now. :)

 

Your chickens will eat up anything that is green within their reach. They will also poop all over your front and/or back porch.

 

We burried a 1foot wire "skirt" around the ouside perimeter of the coop to prevent animals from digging under. We keep the food hanging in the henhouse and the water out in the run. We use these for water -

http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/soft_drink_bottle_waterer.html

 

But we use tall 1 liter bottles - the 2 liter soda bottles don't work as well.

[jenbrdsly]

Shameless self-promotion? Yes, but maybe you'll get a chuckle. This is my column in our local newspaper this week: When it comes to backyard farming I keep chickening out.