Where do I begin with a coop?

[speedy2020]

That's rough, not something I'd recommend.

Hens are molting this time a year so what do you expect?

 

[aart]

Hens are molting this time a year so what do you expect?

I meant the housing not the birds.

 

[speedy2020]

I meant the housing not the birds.

It is cheap and functioning. The chicken hanging outside the run all day. The only time they are in the coop is at night and when laying. The chicken don't care as long there are plenty of good food and place to sleep. You could get much larger box 8' x 8' and build walk in coop. Costco also sell pretty nice plastic shed and can turn into good looking coop.
https://www.costco.com/lifetime-modern-shed-8.3-x-8.3.product.4000025060.html

 

[Leilukka]

What features do you want on the coop? Do you need it to be automated where it interfaces with your SMART phone from 2 WIFI cameras (run and coop) and an automatic door? Do you only need/want up to 6 chickens? What is your spending budget for the coop?

 

[ItsaBritThing]

What general area do you live in and how many people do you need eggs for? Is it rural or more urban? We'd be happy to help with a little more info.

Hi
I live in a rural setting on one acre in Waterford PA just the other side of Ligonier . I need eggs for two people plus baking .

 

[ItsaBritThing]

It's good advice from the others in here to patiently do research on chicken keeping for a while. I personally would have done things quite differently at my start had I the knowledge that I do now

For the record a coop is a nonessential item under certain circumstances

That's what I plan on doing because I don't want any chickens to be harmed because of my stupidity or lack of knowledge I should say I'd have to have something to put them in because we get a lot of deer there's bear apparently as there is a mountain behind our property and a creek runs through it I've seen falcons and turkey buzzards flying around too.

 

[DLA]

Hi
I live in a rural setting on one acre in Waterford PA just the other side of Ligonier . I need eggs for two people plus baking .

You have a lot of options on what kind of chicken would do well there. You're a little south and east of me but the weather is about the same so the only concern is if you want a rooster to try and pick a breed that doesn't get huge combs and wattles so they don't get frostbite in winter. Other than that, your choices would only be limited to your preferences on appearance, egg color and availability of the breed. There are several mail order places in OH so you can probably get the chicks next day or buy from local place like Tractor Supply, or you might be able to find a farm near you that sells chicks. Depending on how many eggs the breed(s) you decide on lay per year would determine how many chickens you need. I have 9 rhode island red hens and I have way too many eggs! for two people, thankfully my neighbor and his family love eggs and buy a lot of them from me. As far as a coop, as long as it keeps the weather out and has good ventilation you shouldn't need any extra heat or insulation for normal feathered laying breeds. If you want to build an attached run invest in hardware cloth 1/4 inch gauge and I'd recommend a roof, plus an apron of hardware cloth to keep digging predators out. Chicken wire only keeps chickens in, it won't stop anything else. There's a ton of different ideas and designs on this site and elsewhere for coop, run so you should be able to find something that would suit your space.

Best to have the coop/run ready before you get the chicks. A run you can stand up in without hitting your head. Biggest mistake I made - my run was tall enough to stand up in most parts of it when I built it but decided to use the deep litter method and when the litter accumulates then I can no longer stand up fully, I just didn't think of it. I manage ok and don't hit my head to often, but would have done that differently in retrospect.

Just keep in mind when building or placing a prefab coop the varying weather conditions you'll have to deal with during different seasons. Shade for summer, ability to keep snow shoveled away so you can get in the coop/run and clean a heavy load of snow off the roof (if necessary) during winter, good drainage for rainy times. In winter you'll have to keep the water from freezing either by replacing it or putting a electric heater on it, in summer keeping the water cool either with ice or replacing it and maybe running a fan to keep them cooler.

You should always check the local ordinances of your town or township to make sure they don't have any restrictions on chickens. Many rural areas in this part of PA often don't have many restrictions on any kind of livestock but it's always good to make sure anyways.

 

[Bananabread]

Given it's November, my advice would be to set a date when you want chickens in the spring. Realistically looking at probably March or April (hatcheries start picking up production in february to March --but that's probably too early since you don't have a coop yet). I'd then figure out which hens you want and from which hatchery and figure out when you can reserve them. Once you have that seemingly arbitrary date you'll force yourself to start the clock and go from there.

Key questions I'd recommend answering for yourself:
Will they have "free range" access during the day?
If no, what is the biggest run you can make? Based off that run, I'd calculate how many birds you can get. As mentioned...the 10sq ft per bird run can feel quite small if it's where they'll be 24/7.
Will the coop/run be on flat surface?
Once you have a sense of the space and where you'll put it, I'd then start researching different coops on this website and find the one that looks similar to the set up that you want...size, run, number of chickens, on a slope/hill, backyard, side yard, etc...

At this point the final big question is: do you have the skillset to build it? If not, will you learn (youtube is a great teacher), pay someone to do it (many landscaping crews can or know someone who can throw something together in a few days) or do you need to reconsider what you want and think about modifying a prefab shed (don't buy a little prefab 2x4ft coop...you'll regret it and the chickens will rue the day you put them in there).

Anywho...that's my two cents...good luck!

 

[NatJ]

When people are recommending hardware cloth:
1/2" holes are small enough to keep out most predators.
1/4" holes are needed if you want to keep mice out.

1/4" hardware cloth is usually made from thinner (weaker) wires than 1/2" hardware cloth. So the 1/2" is often a better choice, because it is a good balance of hole size and strength. If you want to use 1/4" hardware cloth, you may need to use some sturdier wire mesh along with it (thick wires, big holes) to keep out bigger predators.

 

[DLA]

That's what I plan on doing because I don't want any chickens to be harmed because of my stupidity or lack of knowledge I should say I'd have to have something to put them in because we get a lot of deer there's bear apparently as there is a mountain behind our property and a creek runs through it I've seen falcons and turkey buzzards flying around too.

also add to the predators you mentioned (black bear, falcons, turkey buzzards): possum, skunk, raccoons (most dangerous predator because they are smart and there are so many around!), coyote, sharp shinned and red tailed hawks, barn, great and screech owls. stray dogs and cats. occasionally a fox or weasel but they're less common. I have a cheap trail cam that I put up if I see any signs of something messing around my coop/run so I know what bait to use to catch them so I can dispatch them. It can be a losing battle with raccoons, there are always more. Best thing I did was get rid of the wild bird feeders which was drawing them, and make sure I clean up and cover the food in the run at night. Here's a picture of the feeders I use, the ports have plastic covers that you stick in the holes. Haven't had any raccoons messing about since I started doing that and not much spilled feed. This was my run from last winter, it has a roof. The plastic is on only in winter and on hooks so I can move it up and down depending on the weather, usually it's down at least half way most of the winter unless it's snowing a lot or windy. I have a tarp and a cheap porch blind for the rest of the year on the side that gets the weather that I put down when we're getting a lot of rain so it doesn't blow in and make the bedding too wet.
Just some ideas, hope they're helpful!