etsy chicken coop?

[bethanyms]

Hi everyone,

My husband and I are planning to start keeping chickens later this spring. I've looked around at coops that we could build and found this plan on etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/181650...ylhMrvUKa5OfZcG5HRwK3lJCGDBlz1ChoCrA0QAvD_BwE

Any thoughts? Does this seem like a decent size? We have ordered six chicks and one freebie (which, if its a rooster, will be rehomed with my parents). I am not handy and was attracted by the sheer amount of instructions in the plan.

Thanks for the input!

 

[RosemaryDuck]

Hi everyone,

My husband and I are planning to start keeping chickens later this spring. I've looked around at coops that we could build and found this plan on etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/181650...ylhMrvUKa5OfZcG5HRwK3lJCGDBlz1ChoCrA0QAvD_BwE

Any thoughts? Does this seem like a decent size? We have ordered six chicks and one freebie (which, if its a rooster, will be rehomed with my parents). I am not handy and was attracted by the sheer amount of instructions in the plan.

Thanks for the input!

Personally to me it looks a bit on the small side for 7 birds. It's a very nice design but I feel like it could become cramped pretty quickly. Chickens tend to pick on each other if they don't have places to get away/hide.

I've always had larger enclosures for my birds so maybe it's just me . Best of luck building it though!!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Hi everyone,

My husband and I are planning to start keeping chickens later this spring. I've looked around at coops that we could build and found this plan on etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/181650...ylhMrvUKa5OfZcG5HRwK3lJCGDBlz1ChoCrA0QAvD_BwE

Any thoughts? Does this seem like a decent size? We have ordered six chicks and one freebie (which, if its a rooster, will be rehomed with my parents). I am not handy and was attracted by the sheer amount of instructions in the plan.

Thanks for the input!

For bantams, yes.

For standards..... it cpuld be or it cpuld be way too small
Depends on the temperments of the birds. While some people are strict with the space rules, my experience shpws that the rules arent hard and fast

 

[Skyle]

That coop can house 4 standard chickens or 7-8 bantams (also depends on size and temperament of the breed). For 6-7 standard birds you'll need 24-28sqft in the coop and 60-70sqft in the run (4sqft/bird in the coop and 10sqft/bird in the run, for standard breeds, for bantams about half). It depends a lot also on the temperament of the birds, while the breed temperament is predictable, you may never know if you get an evil silkie or the sweetiest game hen.
If you don't have laws on how many chickens you can have, I'd build something which can house more than 7 birds, if you'll plan to keep some more in the future.
Anyways, it seems a really nice coop with the right ventilation and everything, so with the adequate calculations you can make it bigger pretty easily.

 

[citymeetscountry]

The “henhouse” coop area is 15sqft, you want 4sqft coop space per standard size bird. So really that plan doesn’t even fit 4 full size chickens.

Looks like previous posters have covered this though

 

[rosemarythyme]

I would put 4 standard size birds in that set up as-is. If you're hoping to keep 6-7 as originally planned you can expand both the coop and the run by 50% or more, if there's space in your yard for that.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you located? Climate matters, especially when it comes to housing.

As others have mentioned, that coop is too small for the number of chickens you want. Furthermore, the way the ramp is placed under the coop takes away much of what little floor space it has.

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

6 hens

• 24 square feet in the coop. 4'x6' is the only really practical build for this given the common dimensions of lumber. If you can't walk into it, put the access door in the middle of the long side to make sure you can reach all areas of the coop because a stubborn chicken WILL press itself into/lay an egg in the back corner where you can't reach.
• 6 feet of roost
• 60 square feet in the run. 6'x10' or 8'x8'.
• 6 square feet of ventilation.
• 2 nest boxes, to give the hens a choice

In addition to the space problem that coop has no top-level ventilation and, unless you live in a truly cold climate, that clear roof will turn the coop into a rotisserie on a sunny, summer day.

Here are some links to look at:

Small Coops

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/dallas-urban-coop-single-slope-design.72422/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/yakisugi-coop.76398/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/coreys-coop-de-doop.55619/

Good luck with your chickens.

 

[rosemarythyme]

In addition to the space problem that coop has no top-level ventilation and, unless you live in a truly cold climate, that clear roof will turn the coop into a rotisserie on a sunny, summer day.

Actually the entire coop top is left open for ventilation - I didn't know about that until someone else with the same design explained it to me. So not the worst design as far as ventilation, depending on climate.

The clear roof could be a rotisserie in hot, sunny areas for sure, though I see a number of reviewers opted for an opaque roof instead so at least that's not a difficult swap out.

 

[My Bagurks]

Always always always assume you will get more chickens.
The design is really pretty. But chickens are addictive. Never make a coop for how many you plan to get. Make a coop for how many you don’t plan on getting. And either way bigger is better. Always err on the side of extra space. It’s easy to downgrade and section off, but it’s a hassle to expand.

 

[bethanyms]

Thanks so much for the feedback! This is all very helpful. We're in the Piedmont region in NC. It looks like the same Etsy shop has a larger version of that coop (but 34 sq ft coop, 100 sq foot run), so I may try to do that one instead.