Need Advice on commercial coops.

[Aleta]

Hi, I am new to raising chickens. I just got 5 Americana chicks. I live in an urban area with a small backyard. I want a coop with a run large enough for my 5 chicks. I have read the square footage requirements per chicken. Looking at all the online commercial coops is overwhelming and confusing. I am thinking that a tractor style or portable would be good so I can move them around my yard. Is there any particular commercial coop with run that you all would recommend for my 5 chicks? Thanks.

 

[cavemanrich]

Most of the pre-fabricated coops are over-rated by the seller/manufacturer. Some of the larger ones do get quite pricey as well. Are you able to do any construction yourself, like modification to a Garden Shed. That is one of my recommendations.
I only recommend a prefab coop to individuals completely new to chickens, and only want to try out if it would be the thing for them. They are also in the category of starting with about 3 chickens. Those peeps,,, once they get their feet wet, move on to real coops. Some abandon the idea of chicken keeping, and are only out $200 cash. (price of the small coops)
Here is a link to a thread with 17,000 posts with many pictures.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/post-your-chicken-coop-pictures-here.596294/Scan thru those posts and get ideas.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and

 

[paintedChix]

I am a big fan of CP coops.

They are relatively in-expensive and can be built by one person w/o a lot of building knowledge. They can be made small or large. They can be taken apart, can be portable like a tractor or permanent. They can be expanded easily to accommodate a larger coop or a larger/longer run.

I also use CP to make A-Frame tractors that are fairly simple to build & light weight to move around (mine do not have an enclosed coop to sleep in - they are on the ground and the roost is under the tarp that makes up the roof).

I will find my other post that has a LOT of links here on BYC that pertain to CP hoop coops.

Under large coops -

Permanent Hoop Coop Guide

I started on that list. These are the ones in the medium coops area -

Ms Biddy's CP coop
Motel Chix - Blooie's WY run
Pyxi's Hoop Coop
Dutch Hollow Hoop coop
BobDBirdDogs Coop
Armorfirelady's Fire Chickens Hoop Coop
3 B's Chicken Shack 1 & 2
Kugler Cluck House - hoop coop
Egg Shaped Hoop Coop
My Cattle Panel Hoop Coop
The Hoop Coop

Tractors

Aart's Hoop Coop/Chicken tractor
Hoop Tractor "

and here are some of ours -

Coops, Cattle Panel and Sheds

I raise BBS (black, blue, splash - due to color genes) & Lavender Ameraucana. Would love to see some pics of your chicks. I suspect, since you are spelling the breed differently, that you have EEs (Easter Eggers). Have to love all these hatcheries and such that sell the wrong breed or type to new comers to the breed! EEs are great birds! I had some when I first started with LF and currently have a combo of my own EEs that are bantam/Ameraucana Xs. They are basically bantam EEs and they are SOOO cool.

 

[paintedChix]

One of my EE roosters. His bantam side is a mix of several different breeds. Some, to this day, I still don't know. I didn't take pics of my 1st 15 mixed breed, straight run bantam chix that were given to me. I know the resulting chicks carry and most have some silkie characteristics.

In 2014, I got my first purebred Ameraucana birds from a breeder. They were all blue - just different sexes. One rooster came with us to our new property and became a free ranger along with a couple of the bantamX hens we had at the time. Since 2015 - we've had offspring. This year, I'd really like to get a true bantam Ameracauna in a splash variety - crossed to our bantam X hens that are all currently black, I will get all blue chicks... bringing back in a bantam size, the Ameraucana traits of puffy muffs and beards (maybe!) & maybe a 50% higher chance of blue egg layers - most of these have gone back to white/cream eggs.

 

[ColoradoPip]

@paintedChix, are you sure you're 2nd post is posted to the right thread? This user is asking about coop sizes which you answered in the previous post

Most prefab coops are small. You might have a tough time finding one big enough for 5, needing 15-20 sq ft of space, or 4x4 or 4x5 coop. The run, depending on how much you want to spend, could be upgraded, made bigger, etc, but the coop is harder to expand. Therefore I'd focus on the coop and getting one big enough. I always go big, so I'd get as big of a coop as you can, maybe even a shed. All depends on your golas, space, time, and money!

 

[paintedChix]

Hmm, should have put at bottom of reply # 3, addressing some of what i currently have... You are right though, doesn't touch on the coop issue.