Seeking advise on coop setup

Posted by Katie Winzig on January 9, 2011 at 5:04pm
Hello All!I am so looking forward to getting chickens and having fresh eggs every morning! I read Rachel Bess's Fowl Play and signed up for the class this month. However... my boyfriend's dad (who is retired and itching for a project) keeps asking us to send him plans for the coop so he can start building it! I just have no idea what will work best for my setup. My yard is pretty small. I just have a few questions.1. The place where I was originally thinking of putting the coop (against the south wall of my yard, kind of in a corner) is really close to the air conditioning unit, which is really loud when it runs in the summer. This may be a dumb question, but will the noise (which is pretty constant in those hot months) bother them??2. Then I remembered that I have nice grass that I had put in, in October, and the sprinklers go off every morning for 8 minutes. Should I just let it keep going off, even if it gets the chickens and their area wet?3. Then I thought... what if I get one of those small coops (since I only want like 3 hens), which is skinny, like 2 feet wide, with a long run, and put them up in the planter and that could be their home? I could put a patch of sod up there for them to hang out on during the day, etc.I have attached a few pics of my yard. Any thoughts??Thanks!!Katie

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Replies

    • Katie Winzig > Rachel January 10, 2011 at 9:34am
      Haha yeah, we already told him it'll be a couple weeks before we know for sure how we want to do it. I will have LOTS of questions in class next Saturday! :-)  Thanks, Rachel!
  • rochelle l.b. begay January 9, 2011 at 5:21pm

    Hi Katie,

    I'm no expert, but I like the idea of letting them have the planter as a run. And make sure it's got a top so they can't jump over into the neighbors yard. And then your hens could be free in the yard when you are home. I have a portable-type coop that is long and skinny; it's perfectly fine for our one hen when she needs to be cooped. But when we are home, she's free ranging in the backyard. As for the noise of the ac, I'm guessing if they are cooped too close it might disrupt their egg laying...but again, I'm no expert (although we've had chickens for 12 years, there always seems to be more to learn ;)

    Good luck, I'm sure you will enjoy having chickens!

     

    • Katie Winzig > rochelle l.b. begay January 9, 2011 at 6:19pm

      Yikes! That is more info than I had thought to even ask! But thank you for bringing it up!

      First, the block wall is on the south side of the property. I think that means that it is facing North. Right?

      Maybe they should go on the other side (the north end) of the yard, and AWAY from the air conditioner? The water hookup is also on the north end near the side yard. Is that what I would hook the mister up to? Sorry, can you explain the personal mister - how big it is, how it works, where I can get one? I'm not sure I have ever seen one.

      My yard does get shade at certain parts of the day, but not sure which part will be shaded in the summer. So I guess I would just have to get something small enough that once I figure it out, I could move it to she shady part for the summer.

      Is scratch grass? If so, does that mean they shouldn't be on the grass in the summer? Do you think having chickens is doable in my yard? I'm a little freaked out now...

      Thanks for the thoughtful insight!

      Katie

    • rochelle l.b. begay > Katie Winzig January 10, 2011 at 8:05am

      Another idea to keep the chickens cool in summer, which I learned from people here, is to put frozen water bottles in the shady areas for the chickens. Scratch is a certain type of feed that you buy.

      Chris what do you recommend for feed in the hot months?

    • Pam Rawlins > Katie Winzig January 9, 2011 at 8:37pm
      I think almost anyone can have chickens, but Chris is right, the shade and some sort of a micro climate for them during the summer is really important - they will need shade and ventilation, hopefully with some bushes or trees to create even a small cooler space.  Heat will come off of that block.  I use a personal mister - super cheap ($3 - $6) from home depot, walmart or target... just a small stand that attaches to a hose, with a mister at the end. 
    • Katie Winzig > Pam Rawlins January 10, 2011 at 8:04am

      Hmm... ok. I'm sure I can rig up a little shady area on the North end of the yard. My boyfriend suggested setting up some kind of lattice with vines, etc. so maybe we will look into that. I will look into the misters too! 

      Chris - I know my profile says Glendale, because I have a Glendale zip code. I am right on the border of Glendale and Phoenix off of 51st Ave / 101. But I technically live on the Phoenix side. I pay my water bill to Phoenix. And the Glendale library wouldn't give me a free library card LOL So, I think it is ok. As long as I have the neighbor's permission since the chickens would be within 80 feet of them. Luckily, I have pretty laid back neighbors. So I don't think it would be an issue.

      Thanks everyone for the input!

      Katie

    • Doris > Katie Winzig January 10, 2011 at 9:33am

      Katie

      Most of the houses in that area are in an HOA. I hate to see you go thru the expense of a coop to later find out you can't have chickens.

    • Katie Winzig > Doris January 10, 2011 at 9:51am
      I do have an HOA and I sitll have to research the rules. But my plan was that if they are not allowed by the HOA...to get them anyway. As long as my neighbors don't rat me out, I don't think anyone would ever know. Plus I won't be living in that house for too long. The plan is to get a bigger property (with no HOA) in the next couple of years.
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