# chicken coop



## shawnhunts1 (Sep 8, 2009)

I want to get a couple layers this spring but need a coop,anyone have any coop ideas or know of any for sale? I have seen some coops for sale but they are pretty pricey. I am in ogemaw county and I appreciate your help! PM me with info, thanks,shawn


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## Big Reds (Oct 14, 2007)

May be a stupid question, but did you see if there are any prints on the net?


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## fishenrg (Jan 9, 2008)

http://www.backyardchickens.com/


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## 2PawsRiver (Aug 4, 2002)

Where are you located, I have one you are welcome to..


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## outdoor junkie (Sep 16, 2003)

I have an old salt-box style shed I was only using for firewood, so I decided yesterday to transform it into a coop for my new chickens. but it seems I have to dismantel it and rebuild it from scratch, bottom too rotton and to many drafts, so I may just ending up building one from scratch. Gotta get a move on they are i nthe garage now for a few weeks until the nightime temps get a little warmer. Good luck.


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## shawnhunts1 (Sep 8, 2009)

Thanks for your replys. I have been all over the net there a quite a few plans but.....you gotta pay for them. I just wanted a simple design for 4-8 chickens that is easy to keep clean. I have old sheds too but they are just that old and cold. I will be building one from the ground up I guess if I don't find one to buy. Have any of you insulated your coops?
thanks,
shawn


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## outdoor junkie (Sep 16, 2003)

I don't see why you couldn't insulate them same as any other building, just a bit more cost. I thought about doing mine also for these long cold winters.


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## Putman Lake Campground (Oct 4, 2010)

shawnhunts1 said:


> I want to get a couple layers this spring but need a coop,anyone have any coop ideas or know of any for sale? I have seen some coops for sale but they are pretty pricey. I am in ogemaw county and I appreciate your help! PM me with info, thanks,shawn


technically, if I recall for layers you need 1.5 sq ft for every bird.

whip up a coop that resembles an out house.
put the equivelant of a dog =door on the back side
get some wire fencing around the outside perimeter
use straw berry netting on the top to keep them from flying out.
I use a single strand of hot electric fence either on the outside bottom or top to keep the varmits out.

outside bottom keeps them from digging in or climbing over, top does not prevent them from digging in.

be sure to have a perch inside the coop and outside in the run.

nesting boxes are easy. just 10 or 12" square boxes about 4" deep and a touch of straw, etc in them. Keep them off the ground and not under the perch (unless you want to wash chicken poop off them).

I had 8 birds get out just before winter... I gave up.. they wintered extremely fine with A frames and open ends for protection and they started laying before the caged birds that had winter protection.

oops coyote's got them saturday night.. took out 7 hens in one night. :sad: them seven hens were giving me 7 to 9 eggs a day and mondays plan was to get them back in the pen.

still trying to figure out how the yotes got them...had to be yotes 4 claw marks.. no blood, broken necks feathers everywhere. and the manure on their perch was not disturbed.

Owls, eagles, *****, hawks, mink, none of them would have done 7 in one night

I saw an adult and a pup track (fresh rain so only claw marks remaining in the dirt).


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## Ausable Junkie (Oct 2, 2002)

1.5 square feet per bird is not much space. As posted by another, backyardchickens.com is a great site for this hobby. I spent several hours combing through the forums there for ideas and good information.

The general consensus I got for living space is 4 sq feet of coop space per bird. If your birds won't have daily access to free range (like mine) then its 10 sq ft of fenced run area per bird.


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## 2PawsRiver (Aug 4, 2002)

Sorry guys, been meaning to Put up a picture of what I have. Will get a picture and Post it soon. For a guy just starting out I also have an upright feeder, upright water thng and a water heater that I will make you a good deal on.


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## Wendy (Oct 6, 2008)

Backyard chickens is a great site for ideas. I've been a member there for a while.

You actually don't want a coop that is air tight. The coop needs some ventilation so the moisture from the birds/poop doesn't condensate on the birds combs and feet which will cause frost bite and chill the birds. 

I would also recommend any repurposed out building, out house, what ever, some people build them out of kids play houses, check Craigs list often, lots of coops or sheds show up on there. 

WHAT EVER SIZE YOU THINK YOU NEED, DOUBLE IT! 

If I were you, I would build with a floor on the dirt and leave the dirt exposed. Refresh with wood shavings or straw as needed. This is called a deep layor method and MUCH easier to manage than one with a floor that you have to clean every week.

I have Salmon Faverolles. They're cold hardy, and have already reproduced themselves twice over in the first year (I need a bigger coop!) They have been really good eating too! I am disappointed with the smaller egg size, but I picked them as a dual purpose bird and don't mind since they good to eat. I'll be processing 6 roosters this weekend!









I built a 4x8 coop for my birds... I can keep about 8-10 birds in there. The coop space is about 1.5 sq ft because they are only in the coop to sleep and lay. Otherwise they will be outside. Free range space doesn't matter (mine free range but I have a run to keep them in) the 4 sq ft is for foraging room if they are kept inside or run only. I will be insulating the walls at some point, but make sure you cover the insulation with plywood or something cause the birds will peck at everything.

The kennel panels have netting over the top now and sofits. At some point I'll put hardware cloth on the bottom half and bury the other half parallel to the ground to prevent digging in. For now I've not had too much trouble with losing birds (I think the neighbors dog got a few but they've since moved). The chickens have a pop door on the back side of the coop w/t a ramp (not shown). I would also strongly suggest you never use a heat lamp out in the coop. So many fires get started with those things. I averted one in my own coop this winter, the glass was broken at the base, but still lit. It's not worth all the money and effort to just burn them all up.








They're pretty fun to have around! If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask!


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## Putman Lake Campground (Oct 4, 2010)

Ausable Junkie said:


> 1.5 square feet per bird is not much space. As posted by another, backyardchickens.com is a great site for this hobby. I spent several hours combing through the forums there for ideas and good information.
> 
> The general consensus I got for living space is 4 sq feet of coop space per bird. If your birds won't have daily access to free range (like mine) then its 10 sq ft of fenced run area per bird.



No doubt that 10sf of coup per bird is a lot better. 

Have you ever seen a commercial hatchery?

Myself I give them plenty of space, it keeps them cleaner.

I'll have to check out that website.

I personally like free range, but I've learned again so do coyotes. they got more again last night.


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## Putman Lake Campground (Oct 4, 2010)

Wendy said:


> Backyard chickens is a great site for ideas. I've been a member there for a while.
> 
> You actually don't want a coop that is air tight. The coop needs some ventilation so the moisture from the birds/poop doesn't condensate on the birds combs and feet which will cause frost bite and chill the birds.
> 
> ...


great write up Wendy. You covered it all! Accept I'd encourage you to string electric around the top of your pen before the ****/opposum find your birds.


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## shawnhunts1 (Sep 8, 2009)

Thanks again for your replies. There was a run attached to a outbuilding when I bought the place so today we dug down and laid wire then covered it back up. only got two sides with one more to go. The floor of the run is dirt should I put pine shavings on it? thanks,
shawn


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## outdoor junkie (Sep 16, 2003)

I agree 1.5 sq. feet is nowhere near enough room in the coop, unless you want alot of violence between your birds. 10 sq. feet in the run and 4 sq. feet in the coop, or better yet let them free range during the day.


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## Wendy (Oct 6, 2008)

I've got strong netting wired to the top of my kennels now. I've not had any preditor issues. But I'll keep the hot wire in mind, thanks!

My birds are pretty docile, and they're only in the coop at night, and they have a ton of roosting space. 1.5 sq feet is plenty for birds to just sleep in. IF you're keeping the birds cooped up, 100% of the time I agree with the larger the better space allowance. 

Like I said, build bigger than you think you'll need. (I wish I had) As your flock ages, you'll want to start bringing up the new batch of chicks to replace them. So you should really calculate on having twice as much space as you need to allow replacement stock to mature and replace the older hens.


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## Putman Lake Campground (Oct 4, 2010)

shawnhunts1 said:


> Thanks again for your replies. There was a run attached to a outbuilding when I bought the place so today we dug down and laid wire then covered it back up. only got two sides with one more to go. The floor of the run is dirt should I put pine shavings on it? thanks,
> shawn


Depending on the size of your coop there are options. I'd do a wood floor (2 sheets of 1/2" treated plywood) seamed together with a treated 2x4 or something similar. then I'd do wood chips or sawdust (I normally use sawdust from the nearest sawmill, or wood chips from my wood chipper. Straw works, but it's a bugger come clean up time.

the key to it is easy clean up.

Remember That chicken poop is gold for strawberry's and other nitrogen demanding fruits/veggies.


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## caseyj (Apr 8, 2001)

I checked out a site in Mother Earth's News and it seems quite informational. Take a look at - www.communitychickens.com.


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## Wendy (Oct 6, 2008)

Putman Lake Campground said:


> Depending on the size of your coop there are options. I'd do a wood floor (2 sheets of 1/2" treated plywood) seamed together with a treated 2x4 or something similar. then I'd do wood chips or sawdust (I normally use sawdust from the nearest sawmill, or wood chips from my wood chipper. Straw works, but it's a bugger come clean up time.
> 
> the key to it is easy clean up.
> 
> Remember That chicken poop is gold for strawberry's and other nitrogen demanding fruits/veggies.


I'd disagree, cause thats what I have. It's a pain in the ass to have to clean it every week. The wood is always wet even with a deep layor of bedding. I was using a bale of wood shavings every week so it makes the birds cost more. 

The deep layor method (dirt floor) allows the microbes in the soil to help break down the poo, keeps odors down and the birds can still scratch for dirt etc (turning the bedding for you) during winter. 

If I had to do it over again, I'd do a dirt floor. 

IF you do go with a wood floor, cover it with a sheet of linoleum flooring. This way the moisture won't soak into the wood making it smell like amonia in the coop and it'll be easier to clean.


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## Putman Lake Campground (Oct 4, 2010)

Wendy said:


> I'd disagree, cause thats what I have. It's a pain in the ass to have to clean it every week. The wood is always wet even with a deep layor of bedding. I was using a bale of wood shavings every week so it makes the birds cost more.
> 
> The deep layor method (dirt floor) allows the microbes in the soil to help break down the poo, keeps odors down and the birds can still scratch for dirt etc (turning the bedding for you) during winter.
> 
> ...


I've had dirt floors and they annoyed me since I couldn't keep them clean. So I turned to hard surface floors.

When I'm on top of my game I run my shovel across them daily (about 2 minutes extra work) and pile it in a corner till there' enough to haul out (I like my chicken poop it's the secret stuff for a good garden).

I've never bought a bale of wood chips. I pay a little of nothing for a 4X4X8 trailer load of sawdust and a scoop a day goes a long ways and lasts a long time.....

I've never had a moisture problem with wood floors and chickens so I don't know how to respond there, but what your saying does make sense, I just don't know whats causing it in your case.

I've never really read much on chicken raising.. just been doing it all my life (off and on) I do remember reading somewhere about the 1.5sq for laying hens and 2.5sf for meat birds, but most of my knowledge is from a life long experience (off and on) and hard knocks.

I suppose I could check my library.. knowing me I probably have a book on chicken raising that I bought 2 or 10 or 20 years ago.


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