Chicken Coops & Runs

We’ll start where I began so you don’t have to…

My chicken obsession begun when my neighbors got chicks. Once I held a little tiny, chirping, fuzzball of cuteness, I knew I was in trouble! Once I got the green light from my husband that I could get chickens, my feet hit the ground running hard… as most do. I was only going to get 6 chickens, so in my mind, I didn’t need that big of a coop or space for them.

Oh boy was I wrong! I thought that the little coop with built in run that was said to be able to house 6 – 8 chickens was all the space they needed. So I ran home, quickly put my new coop together and grabbed my first 3 chickens from my neighbor. I also had plans to purchase 3 chicks from her next shipment of chicks coming in, which was only a few short weeks away. I had time to get into a routine of taking care of the chickens and see them in their new coop & run. I quickly realized that the coop was really small and I honestly didn’t think that keeping 6 chickens in that space 24/7 was even humane! After trying a few different arrangements, I gave in and ordered a bigger coop that was said to house 12 – 14 chickens. I did more research that time and felt that I made the right decision.

My second coop

I was wrong again! The coop was perfect for 10 chickens. I really liked a lot of the features of the coop. It is super easy to put together & take apart. It is also easy to clean and it had built in nesting boxes. However, it had no run and the chickens had no ability to get out of bad weather. I had decided that I loved the idea of them having a large space to run around but they really needed a place to get out of bad weather. I built a stand to elevate the coop to give the chickens more places to get out of bad weather – but then had to also build steps for them to get inside it. Then I purchased a big metal enclosure to go around & over the coop so that I could cover the top of it year round and enclose the sides with clear tarps in the winter to give them a draft free area (this is extremely important in the fall and winter times!). By this time I was really starting to learn what I liked and didn’t like about the coop and the dislikes (for me) were really outweighing the likes. Now I’m not saying this is a bad coop to own! In fact, I still use it from time to time to integrate new chickens in the flock. It just wasn’t the permanent coop for me and my space.

Back to the drawing board I went!

What can you learn from this? A LOT!!!

First, Really think about how many chickens you want and then add in a few more! No seriously! Chickens are very social, the pecking order can be fierce, and honestly, chickens can die without warning sometimes (predators and they hide illnesses really well are a few reasons for this). Adding in 1 chicken to replace the one you lost is not an easy task nor recommended, adding them in 3’s or more is best, so your max number can and will change at times. My point is, always go for the bigger coop and more space. Even if you only ever have 6 chickens, they will be happier with the space!

Then take a good walk around your property to decide where is the best place you’d like your coop. Make sure it’s in an area that drains well as wet chicken feet can cause health issues and a wet run is a stinky run! You’ll also need to confirm with your town to see if there are placement requirements. For example, some towns say the coop has to be “X” amount of feet from your property line, etc. I wanted my chickens to be closer to my house because I visit them often and I didn’t want to be walking far in bad weather nor did I want to be carrying water/food far distances. Would I move them now if I could? Sometimes I think yes and sometimes I think no. However, they are where they can go so that’s all that matters. That and I am not moving them again! haha

So what do they need? They need 3 to 5 sq ft. of coop space per chicken if they have access to outside, if not then ideally you would have 10 sq ft. per chicken. What I came up with was to design my own coop that would fit inside the 8X8 poultry pen that I purchased. Their coop is only for sleeping. It is 8’L X 3’W X 2’H elevated by 3′ posts with 1 long roosting bar. It has two doors that open up and latch to the roof of the cage for easy access and clean out and then another smaller door at the end with a ramp for them to walk up. Their nesting boxes are underneath the coop. This leaves the floor space for them to stay inside in bad weather and they always have a dry dust bathing spot. Then they also have a fenced in run that they can access as wanted all day long.

There are all kinds of coops and styles to fit all kinds of needs and budgets. A couple of options are: A-frames, a shed converted to a coop, homemade ones using pallets to build one, or a “hoop house” as well as coops with runs attached that also have wheels called “chicken tractors”. If you are wanting to purchase a premade coop, look online around your area to see if there is someone locally that builds them or if there are used ones (just make sure to throughly clean, sanitize and repair any parts needed on a used one). If you’re handy, you can design one to suit your needs or find plans on Etsy or Pinterest that you can build off of.

The Coop & Nesting Boxes I built and currently use.

Now onto Chicken Runs aka Chicken yard

Not everyone uses chicken runs. Many let their chickens free range. However, if you are in a neighborhood, then free ranging chickens can be challenging as they don’t know boundary lines. One chicken might not wander far from home, but a flock might venture further than you’d like them to. Not to mention the risk of predators in neighborhoods – dogs, cats, skunk, weasels, raccoons, in my case hawks are the biggest problem I’m dealing with. A fenced in or completely enclosed runs might be your best options.

Speaking of predators… find out what will be the threats against your chickens. The list is endless and while we may never be able to protect them 100%, we can try what we can with what we have available. Some days I tell myself they are animals and it’s part of life. Most days, I want to build a structure like Fort Knox! I’m currently netting my whole entire run due to a Cooper’s hawk that is stalking my girls or the sparrows living in my yard. Either way, I’m not happy. I’d also wrap my kids in bubble wrap if it kept them safe. So I’m pretty sure your style of chicken keeping will depend on how you approach life. Neither way is wrong. Just be aware of what their predators are and be prepared.

The general rule is: a secure run & coop. This means complex locking latches so nimble paws can’t open them. Use hardware cloth if at all possible to enclose their run & cover it with a roof. It’s also recommended to bury hardware cloth 6” deep or more & have a 6-12” hardware cloth skirt above the ground. Some predators love to dig & will! Chicken wire can be used if needed but it is easy to tear through. Snakes & weasels can’t fit thru hardware cloth nor can mice or rats get in. The coop should have adequate ventilation yet free of drafts and remain dry.

In case you are wondering, I now have 21 chickens, 2 coops that are inside 2 separate poultry pens all have access to 1 chicken run. But things change quickly & often around The Happy Chick Coop!

My favorite chicken, Fiona & I

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