First, you should know, I am the worst at making decisions. If I have to decide between a two colors of a shirt or something, I agonize over it. You can imagine how I've agonized over this coop. I'm surprised I don't have an ulcer.
I've finally decided to order from this company. http://www.gardensolution.com/
I can put in a 10x12 without a permit, so I'll either get a 10x12 or an 8x12. I haven't even decided which way to orient it yet, with the long side being the front or vice versa. sigh Suggestions on whether that will make a different would be helpful.
I do know that I want to partition off part of the inside of the coop. I was thinking of putting the nest boxes up against the partition so one could collect eggs without going onto the litter inside the coop part. Also for storage and then to separate out chickens later if I need to for some reason.
Also, windows - I would love any suggestions about what kind of windows and how many, where to place them, etc. I would like to put shutters on them to make it 'cute.' You can see the different windows they offer in the options part of their site. Go to garden buildings, shed prices, and then at the bottom of the page, 'accessories' give you a full list of the options.
I think the company will put in a pop door for me, so have to decide where to put it.
At some point in the future, this may become a studio/guest cottage with a cottage garden planted around it, so it needs to be cute and ornamental in the yard.
I need to order this tomorrow!!!! So please give advice asap. Think of it as spending someone else's money to build your dream coop. :P
I can't make decisions so need your help!
Personally, I like to have windows where possible....say on all but the back or side wall where the chickens will roost. And the door facing into your yard, whichever direction is more out of the prevailing wind. I can think of no major difference long ways or sideways would make...except how it fits in your yard or garden. Partitioning across the narrow part has to be easier, but beyond that... (Is your garden wide or narrow?)
So...just improvising...4 windows (for the narrow part as front)-2 together on the front, 1 by the door, 1 on the far side...none along the back/ roosting wall...or (for the wide part as front)-2 together on the front, door to one side, 1 on the each end...none along the back/ roosting wall.
And 10x12 is easier to furnish (for me)...though the chickens may never know!! Only my humble opinion...but if it helps...and good luck!
I have someone coming to plow out that area in an hour or two and once it's plowed, I'll post a pic of the area. I'm leaning towards the 10x12 right now. It's a little big in proportion to the fenced off area and I'm always thinking down the road in case I end up using it as an outdoor cottage and putting another coop elsewhere. I want to at least be able to fit a trundle bed in there should it become a studio instead of a coop.
Which brings me to another thing. I was just talking to my neighbor and she has hawks that come by nearly every day and sit on her run. Her run is covered. I was planning to free range and so mine would not have a covered run. Now I'm really worried that I'll have no chickens before you know it.
She also said she has big rats that come into her coop thru the popdoor every day to eat her chicken food. sigh. Don't want rats and esp don't want to spend my money feeding them.
Should I just get a normal chicken coop and attached covered run and forget about free ranging them. I personally am not one to see caged animals of any kind. Not meaning to comment on what anyone else does, it's just a personal thing with me and I will never be happy watching caged chickens. Also, the part of the area immediately around the planned coop, while completely fenced, the fence is only 4 feet on one side and it would be awkward to put an overhead netting or wire in that area imo. Plus it seems like it would be really unsightly.
This heat is not helping these stressful decisions in the least...
Here are photos of the just plowed area. This photo is looking toward the woods. The coop will be towards the back. I have to decide if I want the 'long' way going across or the short way going across. Dh thinks I should get a 10x10 instead of a 10x12. I do agree that in general, a small more cottage-y looking shed would look better in the setting. But it would limit me in # of chickens, esp since I'm partitioning part of it off inside. I could also do an 8x10. 80sf but part of it partitioned off so less than 20 chickens. The only way I'd want more than 20 chickens is if I decide to breed.
The fence you see on the left is our property line so the coop has to be 5' from that.
This pic shows approaching the area from where you would drive/walk in. Ignore the weeds. I planted a little garden along that fence and it got overgrown. I plan to weed it out and make it nice again!
You can see that that fence, which forms one fence of the 'run' area, is not a tall fence. It's a little taller than 4 feet. So if I want to cover the top of the run, I'll have to either make it slanted and you won't be able to walk under that edge, or I'll have to put in some sort of fencing along that existing wooden picket fence.
This photo shows looking from the back. The partial fence you see would line up with the back of the coop and then we'll rebuild the fence along the right side of the coop (had to take it down to plow). My plan is to put a little gate here so the chickens can be let out to free range in the woods that are behind me as I took this photo. They would also have access to the lawn area you see in front of the 'weed garden' in the photo just previous.
I have exactly enough room to put a 12x10 shed with the 12 going across the fence and have 5' on each side. But wondering if that is too overpowering for this area. Would it look funny to make is 10x12 and put the shorter part along the fence?
Last one, a little better shot of a similar view to the one just above.
If I've understood you correctly....I like the sideways 10x12 idea. -the long side along that newly plowed fence, 5' off it. That sounds like it would make that little picket fence area garden look like a 'front yard' for your coop/ cottage. And it would be fun to landscape that way. Plant something really pretty at the corner of the coop that's in the yard that kind of hides the door and it would feel like a little retreat.
Also --we have bird netting over our run area that has been a really effective deterrent to hawks. Comes in huge sizes, is soft and easy to string up.
It's only my 2 cents worth and not necessarily your taste...but the ideas are free......;0
What else lives in your woods? Lots and lots of things besides hawks eat chickens... loose dogs, coyotes, raccoons and possum can be a real pain in the posterior when it comes to keeping chickens. Oh, and the occasional ambitious cat.
If you don't have cover--such as Grownut suggests--sounds like you won't have chickens for long.
Hanging the food will help keep the smaller varmints out of the dispenser and help keep the hens from kicking bedding into the food. Picking up the eggs before dark will also help keep the rat population down, as well as unpleasant surprises from grabbing sleeping snakes... yes, they like hen houses too.
Depending on your winters, you might think about solar gain for your hen house... that'd mean orienting a long side towards the south. No windows on the northern side... if that's where your bitter winter winds come from.
Venting to encourage air flow, high on one side, low on the other.
Also... how do your neighbors feel about chickens digging up their landscaping? That is, if your chickens will be able to get out of your yard and you have nearby neighbors.
Good luck
Jay, we are completely fenced in so only critters other than overhead are my own dogs and cat. I suppose something can climb the fence altho we have never had anything in our yard before other than the occasional deer that sneak in over a low spot. I am a bit worried about 'if you feed them, they will come.' I'll just have to wait and see. We have a very small racoon population and a small coyote population. I'm not worried about coyotes at all, they cannot get in. Racoon can climb so they could. We live on an island and there just are not a lot of critters here.
We're on 2.5 acres. I have great neighbors. They're already looking forward to my neighbors.
I went to order the coop yesterday. I was there two hours and a half! In this heat. It was nasty. Turns out the coop does not come with anything, not even windows. All that was extra, putting the cost of the finished coop in the unreasonable-for-a-chicken-coop range. My friend that went with me and I were laughing because we figured out that it would take 8-1/2 years to break even on eggs. Over 10 years if you count what I paid for the chicken tractor (which I not have completely at home but not out of the car and set up yet). So I have to rethink this chicken thing. Maybe just get a small ugly coop, hide it in the woods with a run attached and keep just the 7 chickens, not adding any more. It doesn't seem prudent to me to spend a lot of money on a coop in this economic climate. We sure did have a darned cute one all picked out, tho, so I am bummed!
One question I had was on the window ventilation. I was keeping the back wall completely windowless so I could put the roosts there. I had one window on the front with the door, one window on one side, and 2 windows on the other side. (Each window was $250! so had to keep the costs down, even tho in the end it was unbelievable!) Would ventilation from the windows on opposite sides be enough. They are just at average height, not real high up or anything. The coop we ended up deciding on was 8x12. The sun would be hitting the side with one window the most, altho there is a large alder tree in that corner so it would shade that side of the coop in the summer, let the sun hit it in the winter (what little sun we have in the winter!). But it seems like to open windows in the cold weather would bring in a draft.
We also ended up with the short 8' end along the back fence with the front door on the other 8' end.
Grownut, Where did you get that soft netting? I probably will end up doing something like that for the run, and then just letting the chickens out in the free range when I'm home. How do you round up the chickens to go back in the run during the day when you need to get them back in there?
Hi Gwendalou--You can buy or down load plans for quite cute chicken coops on line. They don't have to cost much to build...you can even use recylables to make them.
Of course you can't turn them into guest cottages...but they would look nice and your neighbors would be pleased.
The netting was in the garden section at Home Depot. Windows can often be gotten from old remodels or sometimes the second hand/ damaged items type shopping places. You won't need perfectly framed windows for that coop. And food generally works well for getting their attention. Try looking around for those extra items separately. If you can afford the building and the extras can be had cheaply elsewhere...it's far easier to upgrade when you're ready for that cottage...
Good luck!!
I can get my chickens in when I want because they know that, when I call them, I have treats for them, so they USUALLY come. They also respond to herding - sort of - as long as no one's in a hurry.
Besides Home Depot, you can get stronger pheasant netting through places like FarmTek... it's more expensive, but much stronger tougher and longer lasting.
For ventilation, you don't need full sized windows... something the size of a floor vent will do... say 4 of those low along the back wall, such that you could vary the opening depending on the weather. I'd make 'em covered with a floor vent grill so nothing could get in or out them, and then have a slider to raise and lower for regulation.
You could even put some high up under the eaves on the other side, so you can still have a little air movement while the big windows are closed.
Pity about the expensive windows... there's lotsa folks here can tell you how to do anything on a shoestring... just using simple carpentry and tools. A chicken house is a great project to learn and practice skills on. It's not like the chickens are gonna care! LOL
Your average chicken can hop a 6' fence, just so you know... at least until they become big fat layers. Leghorns and Americaunas are the worst for that sort of thing... Brahmans, Orpingtons, and Rhode Island Reds are more earth bound.
As for rounding up chickens... calling 'em and throwing a bit of scratch out for them will usually work, and the ones that don't show up... just consider it natural selection. After a few years, you'll have a very smart herd of hens... =0)
What kind of dogs have you got? I may have lost more chickens to my own dogs than other people's dogs. I've had... labs, goldens, heelers, shelties, and pits. All strongly in favor of my raising chickens for them. =0(
EVERYbody likes chicken!
I've got a lab and a golden. The lab is 8 and has 2 bad back legs (torn ccl's) so knows she can't really outrun too many things and doesn't try. The golden likes to give chase but is a HUGE scaredy-cat and any chicken that showed the least bit up gumption would scare him to death. LOL I'm actually looking forward to seeing that happen.
I'm off to the feed store today to see if I can get some portable fencing to fence off an area where I can at least get the chickies outside today. I'll be sitting right out there with them the whole time.
The chicken tractor didn't work out for me and I returned it yesterday (took all day to get it there as the ferry lines were huge in both directions), so I'm back to square one. Looking at the randall burkey coops now - anyone have one of those and have opinions?
We have pretty much decided that my idea of having them free range is not a great one and to put them all in the veggie garden with an enclosed (completely) run. Altho I still plan to let them out to free range when I'm home and see what happens. I'm willing to sacrifice one of them to see if it'll work before I say no to that. I know too many people who let their chickens free range with little to no problems to give it up without a try.
Gwendalou, have you tried searching Craigslist? I see ads frequently in the "farm & garden" section for chicken coops, used sheds, etc. You might find something there cheaply that you can convert for your needs. Also check out the "free" listings on CL for things like windows, doors, hardware, etc.
Gallesfarm, how do you think I found that tractor! LOL Yes, I look there frequently. Currently I'm in talks with Randall Burkey about their coops. Sure would like to talk to someone that has one or has seen one tho.
I don't know about the coops, but if you loose the chickens in your veg garden, you can pretty much write off the garden. They will destroy it. Chickens are good to run in the garden in the off-season; they will rototill the soil, eat bugs and larvae, and fertilize things, but they will also eat and uproot every living plant... great if they're weeds, not so great if it's beans, squash, lettuce, tomatoes... maybe they can't do much to full grown corn...
For a quick, movable covered run, you could arch 20' 3/4" pvc, put the ends in 4" x 4" (or 6" x 6") beams spiked every 4' with 12" long rebar and cover with the bird netting. You could use greenhouse plastic clamps and staples to hold the netting in place. Then once the birds have finished the area, just break it down and move it. You could get some very large areas covered that way. 12' wide by as long as the netting and tall enough to walk into.
Chickens do not have enough gumption to scare a timid Sheltie, trust me. In my case, not only did I have to bear the loss of my hen, I had to clean up the puke all night long... he overate. Talk about insult to injury... At least you wouldn't have that problem with a golden; they'd probably have to eat 2 or 3 hens before they got sick from overeating. LOL
What do you mean by 4"x4" beams spiked every 4" with 12" long rebar? Having a hard time picturing that, but the general idea is exactly what I want to do, along the rows. I never want them in the beds, just along the paths.
You take your board, drill a hole just big enough for the rebar and then hammer the sections in. That way you can just pick up the board/beam and move it to the new location rather than bother with pulling sections of rebar out of the ground every time.
I forgot to say... you'll need to run a purlin if the arch is big. That's another section of pvc run lengthwise and connected to each arch. That keeps the whole thing from getting too wildly askew.
I don't know how wide your paths are, but you may be able to get by with smaller diameter, shorter sections of pvc. Maybe even use 2" x 4", but you'd probably have to stake or weight those down... sandbags maybe? But you wouldn't be able to walk inside; pvc will only bend so far.
The one I was describing would be about 10--12" wide and around 6' high down the middle.
This also makes a quick and dirty shade house (if you use shade cloth) or greenhouse (if you use plastic), though they don't hold up to snow or high winds too well. Re-inforcement is needed then.
My paths are 3' wide.
I was thinking of ordering some of that poultry netting. It's made for elec poultry fencing but I wouldn't need to put electricity to it, unless I needed to for some reason. That stuff seems really portable. The problem is, it's a fairly big roll so I wouldn't be able to section off just one row, for instance.
I'm not sure how that would work with the hoop set-up. Electric netting isn't really set up for this sort of thing... I'd worry about crimping the wires with the clamps.
Farm Tek has a knitted Game Bird netting that comes in a 12' x 100' roll. That seems like a lot, but it can not only be used to keep chickens in, it can also be used to keep birds out... like off fruit trees and berries and new lettuce seedlings. Many uses. =0)
For 3' paths, you could also use poly pipe... it bends easily, and will hold up poultry netting. I imagine it's probably cheaper, too. My poly pipe is almost 1" outside diameter, and it makes a 2 1/2' arch over my 4' bed (I use it to support floating row covers). The 2" x 4" would be probably be sufficient, combined with sandbags for stability.
You can get the clamps from Territorial Supply, among other places.
Oh, no, the elec fencing would just be set up as it's meant to be used, not for any hoops.
I'm not familiar with poly pipe. I guess you get that at any place you'd find pvc?
Ah, I see. I thought you wanted a closed top to keep out the hawks and owls.
Any place that has drip irrigation supplies should have poly pipe... it's the black pipe, quite flexible.
The electric bird fence is great for pastured poultry, but it doesn't keep the flying predators out. But you could build a small coop on wheels and just roll things all over the place...
Now where did I leave those chickens this week? LOL