How big does it have to be ? Will those Kit Chicken Coups from Walmart or Tractor Supply work ?

Would like to see the replies on this also....

I use the 4x10 rule. 4 sq ft in the coop 10 sq ft in the run per standard size bird. Half that for bantams.

I wouldn’t buy the kit coops they are very poorly made. I ended up building my own and know it will last

We have similar climates. I like to pack them tight to help them stay warm in winter. 2x6 with one perch running length wise would work good. Make sure it has good ventilation.

I agree about the kits.....build your own for about the same price but more rugged.

Mine is about 4x8 ft and have 12 chickens in it right now. Its up off the ground so the chickens can get under it when it rains or snows. Some of them are afraid of rain and snow! Build your own, 2x4s and 1/2 inch plywood. Put an overhang on the roof and plywood will mosty stay dry. put a spouting on it and run it into a small bucket so they get fresh water when it rains. My run is probably 8 x 12 including under the coop. but I let them out often. Put your coop close to electric so u can run a light to melt the water in cold or use a heated dish.

Set down some treated lumber under a 4X8 sheet of plywood and go from there add some old windows cut a door hole and your good, 6 sheets for the sides 1 for the top with a slight pitch to it. Find a old storm door for the side to get in and out. I found a old tinted window at a glass shop a off size super cheap so no lights are needed.

Guy gave me one of those pre-built ones. Total junk...a coon could easily tear into it...sitting empty out back

I bought a tsc chicken coop. It worked but really poorly made and wouldn’t have lasted more than a year or
Two. I built a new one. Coop is 4’x5’ and the run is 8x8. My chickens are free to
Roam the yard all day so I didn’t make the run very big. Biggest thing I did was watched YouTube videos of different coops to get a idea of what I wanted. I have 6 chickens in mine plenty of room so I am adding two.
Homesteadanomics on YouTube and Instagram is a great person to follow

I collected pallet wood at work and used that. Also had a coworker give me some old crank open topper windows.

That pallet coop is sweet!

Then of course the wife wanted something to store the feed and supplies in, so I made her an outhouse out of some scrap 2x4’s and hemlock barn boards I was able to get.

That's a darn nice coop Frost. You got a small run door, easy access laying boxes and a big door for clean outs, nice. What are the dimensions and how many birds do you have?

Find a old barn type yard shed they work great if you ever want to have more birds you need to think about heating the space for size of the coop in the winter.

Brooder house on the left coop on the right.

It’s roughly 3’ minus the nesting box by 6’. Currently have 6 layers but have had 10 in there with room for a few more. 10x10 dog kennel for the run but most of the time that door is open to allow for free range.

Thanks, you did a great job on it and the outhouse too!

Thank you

What most folks new to chickens don't realize is that the basic parameters of what makes for a good chicken house have only been known for well over 100 years. Every aspect of it was researched......materials, basic shapes, ventilation, light, what makes for a good floor, number of nest boxes and size, linear feet and shape of roost bars, etc. Even size and location of access doors and if they should open in or out. Then where to orient the house.......in temperate climates the open windows always face south......or more correctly, a few degrees east of south. That level of specificity. Several books written on it 100 years ago. So no mystery of what to do.

Pretty well guarantee the outfits making the trash sold at TSC etc, know nothing about any of that. They start with what they think will sell......and that generally means "cute". Regrettably, the folks buying these are equally uniformed.....so get stuck with this trash, until they put it to use and quickly realize they been had.

So yes, by all means, build your own if you can. Predator issues are that nearly 60% of all losses to adult chickens are to coons at night and the neighbor's dogs day and night. Weasels, minks, skunks, possums, foxes, hawks and owls take out most of the rest (mostly small or young birds), along with the occasional coyote or bobcat. Rats and mice are drawn to chickens like moths to the flame, so gotta takes steps to keep them out (and more importantly, out of the chicken feed).

So a chicken house needs to be built of sturdy stuff that a coon, mink, weasel or fox can't get into......no matter what. That means predators can't climb over and into or dig under and into. Chicken wire is too flimsy for anything.......welded wire is the ticket. 1" x 2" unless weasels are a threat and then it's 1/2" x 1" cage wire over the openings.

Lastly, true free ranged birds in a high predator location almost always get killed. Not a matter of if.....only when. Best defense there is a super hot electric fence designed for poultry......around a reasonably sized "yard". Will keep predators out and chickens in.

The thing I learned about chicken coops is they look really nice when brand new. Then they look like crap after 1 year.

Renovate.