8x8 coop and run

[pnkbrry24]

I have seven little chickies, I am currently working on a coop and run design.
The whole layout is 8ft by 8ft. The coop I'm planning on making will be 8x5(maybe 8x6), will this be big enough.
If any turn out to be roos they will be given away. The coop will above ground, so the run will essentially be 8x8.
Me and my brother are building it, he's 21, and I'm 19. We really have no construction experience, but we do have a screw drill!
Also the height is 6 feet all around, I told him just to make the coop 6 feet high and 2 feet off the ground, but he insisted on putting up 6 feet posts at each corner.
So right now we have a base built that's 8x8 and two six feet high posts attached to the base at two corners.
We think as we go, so keep that in mind.
What do you guys think?
Also is two nest boxes enough?

 

[mljohnson05]

Depends on if you are talking about Bantam chicks or standard chicks... For standard chicks i usually have a coop that allows 3-4 Square Feet PER Bird.
If you have a run connected to the coop that is 8x8 that will be fine while you are at work, but you will have to let them out to Free range and stretch their wings once you get home.

as far as nesting boxes....You need ONE box for EACH girl that you have........ That way there are no fighting and each can claim its own spot..put that is just how I do it

If you can post pictures It will help us see what you are doing, or a drawing of what you have in mind....Make sure it has Lots of ventilation, but that there are not direct drafts for when winter comes!

Best Wishes,
Laura

 

[Nicole01]

The coop will be fine. I have 8 chicks with only 2 or 3 nest boxes. They will share the nest boxes. Good luck!

 

[CarolynF]

First.... put the coop 3' up off the ground for a couple of reasons 1) at some point you WILL have to get underneath and 2' is awfully small. If possible I'd also increase the height of the coop one more foot, making it 7' instead of just 6. 2) It's a lot easier to reach into a coop (for cleaning) when it's 3' high.

Sorry to disagree with an earlier post, but you won't need a nest box for every hen. They share whether you have extras or not. Two will probably be good, but you can add another later. You have some time before they start laying. Make the top of the boxes sloped so the birds don't perch on top. And be sure the perch is higher than the nest boxes, for the same reason. My perch is a 2x4 installed so they sit on the 4" side.

A common calc. is 3 sq. ft. per hen for the coop, especially if they are outside most of the time. The run should have 10 sq. ft. per bird.

Make sure you have LOTS of ventilation, search for 'ventilation' here on BYC for more info..

Plan ahead for keeping predators out of your run and the coop. This is SUPER important. If your run is REALLY predator proof you won't have to get up at the crack of dawn to open the coop door, and be home at sunset to close it. I think at your age that's probably pretty important? DON'T use chicken wire!

Keep asking questions and reading posts to learn what really works. You'll be glad you did.

Good Luck!

 

[Tenmore]

I agree 3 feet high off ground 2 boxes maybe 3 hers an idea put the boxes on the outside so as not to take up interrior room like I did something like this

ive built for but they have access to 3 for now. My coop is 51 inches wide by 8 feet long by 8 ft high with a 10 by 8 ft fully enclosed run which i am adding on to now

cause I have 14 now. I am still working on my coop hopefully I can get the sdidding on this week goodluck and keep asking questions on here lots of great peeps here

good luck and dont for get the roosts

 

[WKYChick]

I agree with going 3 feet off the ground. Get a pen and paper and write down what you need to cover; 3 sq ft per bird inside & 10 sq ft per bird outside, ease of cleaning out the coop, placement of roost bars, keep your roost bar higher than your nest boxes also have the top of your nest box cover slanted to discourage the chickens from sitting on top. Our run will be completely fenced top to bottom to keep them in and keep the predators out.

We built our coop out of scrap wood and metal that people were throwing away and we have no building skills whatsoever, so I read up on everything I found here and with my husband we created this coop:

I need an updated picture to show the coop and run together, we went with flush to the ground and secured it so nothing can get under it, cross ventilation is very important:
We created cross ventilation and extended the roof longer to keep weather from coming straight into the eaves

We also created a little covered area for them to get under, we just got our kennel fencing up but I am redoing how they are arranged to give the chickens maximum sq ft outside, they will also get to free range while I am out in the yard

And here is our roosting bars:

Wrap everything in hardware cloth for predator proofing, also add window(s) so they can get sunlight, the window can be made out of framed plexiglass just predrill the holes first, you can even go and search for free windows, we found that little one on a trash heap, the big one we went to our Habitat Restore

It sounds like you are off to a good start, good luck and have fun!

 

[pnkbrry24]

Thanks for all of your help guys. I think I'm going to return the chicken wire I got, it's 1'' kind.
Hopefully I'll start working on it a little more today.

 

[WKYChick]

I thought I would jump back and say why we all go with hardware cloth, predators can rip chicken wire to pieces, we use chicken wire as an added barrier on top to keep flying predators out, on all vent holes, windows and around the chicken house and run is hardware cloth. As of right now we have dog kennel fencing for a run, we have chicken wire but when funds are built back up we are going to invest in hardware cloth, so we are taking risks with what we have, in the 1yr we have had our chickens we have not seen any predators nor any signs of predators but that doesn't mean they wont find us soon

We are still in the process of getting everything just right on our coop and run

the weather hasn't been very nice to us, we have to redirect the water flow away from the run, build it up and create like a sand box for the chickens, they love sand and it creates almost like a litter box, easy to keep clean. Inside the coop itself we are going to put down laminate for easy cleaning and we are using the deep litter method.

When all the rain stops I'll get more pictures of our coop and run

 

[MakNugget]

@CarolynF <---- what she said.

My first flock of 3 I have set up two nest boxes. Due to Chickenitis, I observe chicken antics remotely on a daily basis via the Internet. While there was sharing going on when their egg timer is off set from each other, there were plenty of times where all three needed to go at the same time. Sometimes they would occupy both nests, but sometimes only the one occupied would do.

Please raise the coop -- you'll be glad you did. Coop security is paramount, especially when all this hard work is going into raising them. Never assume you don't have predators. I've had a fairly uneventful year, until this year when they've started free ranging. A few hawk appearances, and raccoon sightings. Don't give them an easy meal.

I'm pretty much brushing up on the Do's and Don'ts here again since I'm building another coop. Lots of good stuff here.