# Chicken coop questions



## Capt. Bobby Hill (Mar 30, 2010)

So we are looking to begin our chicken raising adventure and just looking for opinions on coops. As far as the coop itself does anyone have any words of encouragement on picking out where to get our coop. We have looked into both building our own and purchasing online "coop kits" if you will. I'm not a skilled architect but i do know how to turn a wrench/screwdriver and cut wood. We are planning to place the coop next our shop on a 2 acre lot in our front yard (the back yard is where our dogs live) so would like it to be somewhat aesthetically pleasing. Im not sure i trust in myself to take the time and money to attempt to build one myself and it turn out a ugly eye sore. I read horror stories on the online kits and we have found custom builders that want to charge an arm and a leg. Does anyone have experience with the online kits or perhaps can shed light on their coop buying experience?


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## Cody C (May 15, 2009)

First, I have a sams coop in Houston that I'll sell you for cheap if you want it. 

I have a 10x10'x6' dog cage around the coop. 

Last one died in December and we are done with chickens for a while. 

I built my last coop, but it doesn't fit in the backyard so it went to the ranch. 
Make a wire floor, I did 1"x2". You don't want 'it' building up and stinking in there. Just let it fall through. 
Put a roost rack on one wall with a door for me to get to them. On another wall, I put a lay box with a door to the outside for me. 
With 8 hens, I just put 1 lay box. Because they insisted on laying with each other. 

Biggest, most important thing, play with your chicks all the way up to adult size. The more you interact, the more you'll enjoy them. They'll be nice and get to where you can call them and have them run up to you. 

Had mine for 4 years with no losses. They traveled in a dog crate to the ranch on the weekends, backyard in Houston/corpus. Then a big bird got them. Wife swears she saw a bald eagle in the back yard but likely a hawk. 
Before you get them set out live traps with fruit and stuff to catch the possums. They'll eat a chicken...

We've had 'backyard chickens' for about 10 years. Let me know if you have any more questions. 


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## Elturbobug (Sep 9, 2012)

Like Cody above, I am a long time chicken man.

Let me go ahead and fill you in on some things to prepare you.

Chickens are suicidal! They will find every way known to man to get themselves killed.

Everything eats chickens. Everything. Even the neighbors cute like cracker fart dogs.

Chickens prefer to poop on your carport, drive way, window sill, and garage floor. I am convinced that my chickens will hold their poop until they can find the last piece of concrete that I pressure washed and will go there. Not just go there....they will go like they just ate Taco Cabana for lunch.

All that said....

The first time you see a chicken peck it's way out of a shell you will forget all that above.

Rob


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

I'll offer an opinion. Went through the same thing a few years back and I just didn't like the lack of quality I saw in the kits. They just didn't seem to be high quality materials.

So, I built it myself and very pleased with the result. If I had it to do over again, I would look into building one of those "coops on wheels" which you can move around the area when needed. That approach is really compatible with gardening.


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## Capt. Bobby Hill (Mar 30, 2010)

"Chickens prefer to poop on your carport, drive way, window sill, and garage floor. I am convinced that my chickens will hold their poop until they can find the last piece of concrete that I pressure washed and will go there. Not just go there....they will go like they just ate Taco Cabana for lunch."

HAHAHA I Laughed too hard at that one..

Thanks for the input.

Cody C. I sent you a PM.


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## bowmansdad (Nov 29, 2011)

We had a 12x16 hen house built a few years ago. We have had as many as 35 hens, now down to 8 due to old age and hawks. Iâ€™m putting up netting over the chicken yard to keep the hawks out. Depending on how many hens you are going to have, Iâ€™d go with built unit vs. a kit. My stepson keeps 3 in a 8 x 12 plywood frame that he moves around his backyard. It has a small roost box/layer box and covered with chicken wire.


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## al_carl (Jan 20, 2012)

Meadowlark said:


> If I had it to do over again, I would look into building one of those *"coops on wheels" *which you can move around the area when needed. That approach is really compatible with gardening.


Google "chicken tractor"


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## Fishing Logic (Aug 25, 2005)

All things chicken and more. 
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/coop-run-design-construction-maintenance.9/


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## Igofish (Apr 18, 2010)

I just got started as well. I built mine out of scrap lumber, only thing I purchased was the wire. I have six chickens but only getting one egg a day so far..
























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## Lunkerman (Dec 27, 2004)

I started off last year with 15 chickens, now down to 6. Above poster was right on about everything likes to eat chickens. I've trapped several ***** right next to the coop and have seen coyotes chasing them right by my front porch. Daughters wiener dog killed one for sport while I was babysitting his sorry little butt. Only one died of natural causes, she was sick looking one morning and dead by noon, sudden chicken death syndrome I guess, ha. 

Since I was a carpentry contractor my whole life I built my own coop. More of a fortress than typical chicken coop compared to what I've seen out there. 

I get five or six eggs a day out of them now. Read online they quit laying during winter due to low hours of light so I keep a light on them til about 8:30


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## livinadream (Jun 25, 2014)

Not much I can say that hasn't been said other than if you're in the country, make sure their yard is covered so that nothing of size can get in. I had a net over mine to keep Hawks off of them, and was cleaned out by a bobcat in 3 nights.





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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

livinadream said:


> ... I had a net over mine to keep Hawks off of them, and was cleaned out by a bobcat in 3 nights.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Its a real quandary for me. Chickens are happiest when they can roam freely...but also in the most danger at those times.

I finally got some guineas and they are very good at surviving. Constantly on the prowl for bugs and constantly cackling. They are really fun to watch.


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## bowmansdad (Nov 29, 2011)

Our chicken yard is 75X40, including the 12X16 hen house. I finished installing netting over the yard, the hawks were killing us again. We lost about 30 to a bobcat a couple of years ago, how she got through that small opening Iâ€™ll never know. We are down to 8 layers now, adding about 20 pullets in a couple of weeks. We sell enough eggs to almost break even on feed.


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## Capt. Bobby Hill (Mar 30, 2010)

Are any of you located in the Southeast Houston side and willing to sell some eggs?


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## Part Timer (Jul 2, 2012)

Dont give up yet! I have had backyard chickens for a almost a year now and i can say im addicted. Im about to get 2 more, and by 2 i mean 5. This is my coop as of now, but ill have to expand eventually when my flock grows. Only picture i had was during Harvey sorry.

It was really thrown together with no plans. I studied a bunch of pictures online and watched a bunch of videos. You cant mess it up. Have a place from them to sleep, eat, poop, and lay eggs. All other mistakes can be covered up with trimwork and a good coat of paint. Its just for chickens. Lol i spent a lot of time on a nice nesting box and a cool rustic tin front entrance for them and thats all anyone notices. Pick your battles for aesthetics.

















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## goatchze (Aug 1, 2006)

Here's mine (while not quite finished):

http://2coolfishing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1969010










I designed it myself. I'm sure I have the plans I made around here somewhere if you want them.

My advice:

1. The lay box extending outside of the coup is awesome. The kids go and gather the eggs each day, and they don't have to go into the run/coup to do it.

2. Make sure the chickens have plenty of room. The coupe I have here is great for 10-12 birds. However, we only planned on keeping 5, and I made the run accordingly. It's way too small, which causes more prison fights than are warranted.

The security/freedom contiuum is true. The freer the birds, the more hazards they will face. The safer the birds, the less free they will be. Ours stay in the coop/run all the time. We haven't lost any birds since they were poulets, and those were all to rat snakes that couldn't quite eat the bird, but could kill them and try. Now that they're full grown, they're very safe where the are.

Oh, and get yourself a nice pair of long handled loppers if you don't have them already. We kill 4-6 rat snakes of the 4-5' length range each year it seems. They usually swallow a few eggs and chill out in the lay box. The loppers are a great extrication tool.


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## trout250 (Aug 24, 2005)

we haven't had any birds for a while but even in city you will have a problem with hawks , neighbor behind me was letting his hens set and every time he had chicks running around in yard we would see hawks, he accused my Jack Russel of getting them and I showed him a hawk setting in oak tree and he put chicks in pen and stopped this.
If you use shavings in bottom of coop they make good stuff to put in garden if you have one


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## Part Timer (Jul 2, 2012)

Dont mean to hi jack the thread OP

But, any of yall chicken people need or want a young rooster. Its an orpington i recently aquired that i dont need and now dont want lol he is semi tame and will let you pick him up.









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## dhudson (Jun 20, 2016)

*Coups*

bradscedarshop.com

I got mine here about five years ago and it still looks and operates like new!! He makes them out of cedar and they come in pieces that you put together when you get back home. VERY pleasant to look at and made to last.


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

trout250 said:


> we haven't had any birds for a while but even in city you will have a problem with hawks , neighbor behind me was letting his hens set and every time he had chicks running around in yard we would see hawks, he accused my Jack Russel of getting them and I showed him a hawk setting in oak tree and he put chicks in pen and stopped this.
> If you use shavings in bottom of coop they make good stuff to put in garden if you have one


Hawks are a big problem with chickens. But in reality everything likes chicken. I usually let mine out at the end of the day when I'm feeding all my birds.
I feed mine garden veggies, lay pellets, and boiled quail eggs. 
Just make sure they have plenty of room in there coops and runs. I build three sided coops. My coops are placed under trees and facing the prevailing wind.
The heat in Texas is brutal on birds they wear a down jacket 24/7.


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