I would like to see some pens and numbers of chickens per unit.

I'm thinking on having some 6-8 hens and one rooster.

Maybe Rhode Island Reds and Buff Orpingtons for eggs.

Any suggestions on predator control?

I didn't explain that enough as to size and quantity of hens.

I would look into building a chicken tractor. I built one and used it, but I have more chickens than can fit in it and just keep them in a coop. Mine was built like an 'A' frame exactly. The top of the a is where the chickens roost and lay. The bottom of A is where they scratch, that is covered in chicken wire. The size of two 4x8 plywood was big enough for 8 to 12 chickens. Move it around the yard to get new grass once in awhile. P.s. I never used the unit in the winter, but I would see very little issues other than those common to all winter endeavors.

Are you wanting full time coop or free range days and place to sleep?

So FF, that would be good for raising chickens as meat chickens mostly?

I have looked at the moveable coupes to fresh ground and grass.

The winter use could be done with throwing in some alfalfa hay on occasion in the yard area.

Its an issue of getting layer chickens that can produce 5-6 eggs a day.

Thanks

tjm: I am looking at either one.

The free range is an issue here with a lot of hawks and eagles.

I have lots of open grass and field area also pines close by.

If I go that way it will be sitting by with the shotgun.

The closed in and run area might be my best bet. A mobile unit like FlyinFinn suggested.

Not for broilers, for laying hens. Something similar to this: http://www.ana-white.com/2012/05/plans/frame-chicken-coop
Mine was bigger, as I used 4x8 plywood as sides of the upper part of the 'A'. Door opens on side to collect eggs from nests. The cat's meow.

Also, the logistics of ordering 6 hens and 1 rooster might be difficult. Unless you plan to hatch your replacements I recommend ordering red sex linked chickens. They lay a nice brown egg and are easily sexed by color at hatching so they send you all hens 98% of the time.

Thanks.

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My shed is 8'X12' with 9 nests, two feeders and a number of roost poles, with attached 12'x16' wire covered run.
For full time this gets a bit crowded with (works best for about 15) over 20 birds, but when allowing them to run out all day I've had 52 or 53 birds there.
Shed size should be small enough that they can body heat it, but at least 3 square feet per bird, out side run could be 15-30 square feet per bird for no crowding.

Tractor store near you? Birds I have now were Easter left overs that started to molt and looked half naked ugly, I bought them at three?/five? weeks old for $.50 per hen rather than day old at $4.00 each. Or order 20 straight run Buffs.(you will like them better than any Reds) That will give you 6-10 pullets and and 10-14 roosters, eat the roosters and you will lose some birds so you will need the extras.

Thanks again.

Old 10X12 lawn shed barn fits about 35 hens 12X24 run made with 2X4 fencing it's wired so I keep 2 red 250 watt heat lamps on in the winter when it's really cold. Green floor and insolates walls and roof with a vent for in the summer when it gets hot. 60 degrees in there when it's below zero snow still on the roof so it's insulated well. LOL 15 hole nesting box heated water in the winter but they free range in the day all summer long then go to roost at night and get locked up every night.

For that few chickens, I would build a fenced in chicken tractor, with an enclosed roost for the night out of plywood with a covering of tin.
Put it on wheels so you can move it for grazing the chickens, and make things easy to clean up.
I use a plastic silage tarp for the top for sun, rain and snow.

As for predators, you have to make the roost are shed area tight or you will have mink or weasels kill the chickens. That goes for penning too. Some heavier breeds you can leave out as they may not roost in trees, but you have to pen them up at night or you will be feeding everything from fox to horned owls.

I honestly keep a cage trap by my tractor and keep one operating at a slough just outside my yard to pick off skunks to coons before they become a problem. Chickens are a magnet and you will soon discover animals appearing in droves.

If you like birds, the chickens will be pets. I have goldstar that my cats cuddle with and she sleeps with them. It gets personal when predators the state is raising start eating chickens that are looking to you for protection.

As an additional point, you should discover that the bugs start not being as big of a problem as the birds do eat a great deal of them for protein.

Here is a chicken "coupe"....

Mine is similar to Lawdogs. But I have my outside run shorter...so I can tarp it during the winter. The thinner tarp turns it into a greenhouse. Nice and warm and dry all winter.

I hated my Buff Orpingtons. They were loud. Annoyed me so they found a new home down by the river by the park. Owls and fox gotta eat, too.

I agree with FF on the sex links, if you want 5-6 eggs daily you can't beat em.
We have a 5'x12' coop with an attached 10'x12' enclosed run with 10 hens. Can't let em free range around here, mink,fox,coon and hawks.
They wouldn't last a day!

We keep 6 hens and a rooster. I raise meat birds when I switch out my laying flock. That way all the birds are the same age and there is no fighting. If I wanted to raise broilers this spring I would build a "tractor" of some type.

My wife and I built our 8x12' coop with an attached 600sqft fully enclosed run. Currently, we have 21 hens and 3 rooster in there. We do have plans to add a few more hens in the future. I built a fully automatic waterer that will hold a weeks worth of water and feeder that will hold 2 weeks of feed. We free range the chickens most days, but the attached run is nice for when the hawks and eagles get too thick. The key to building a coop is to have more ventilation than you think you will need. The windows help, but I added 22 eve vents which adds an extra 8sq feet of ventilation. I added a 10' skylight to aid in egg production naturally.

This is an outside shot of the coop. I poured a concrete slab and bolted the walls to make a secure structure.


Inside the coop looking at the roost and poop board area. I wanted to make the coop as easy to maintain as possible. The removable poop board (shown unfinished in the picture) helps keep the coop clean. We fill the poop board with 300 pounds of sand and mix in some Sweet PDZ horse stall refresher (to absorbed ammonia). We scoop it out 1x a week and have never had a problem with ammonia or moisture build up.


If you look to the left of the picture, you can see the installed roost boards and as well as the installed removable poop board. In the center of the pic is the external nest boxes. This allows for easy access to collect eggs without having to enter the coop. we do the deep litter method inside the coop. We put 4 bundles of pine shavings on the concrete, and I add 1 wheelbarrow of hay per week. The chickens scratch through the litter and turn it over with their droppings. This creates a nice compost and is relatively maintenance free. I clean out the coop 2x a year this way.


as for predator control, I have 6' welded wire fence that I buried 1' deep. All the fence post are 12' long set in 3' of concrete, so the post and fence is pretty stable. I took a heavy duty bird netting to create the canopy. To help support the canopy, I took 1/2" air craft cable and ran it from the corner of the coop to the furthest fence post with a turn buckle. All the fence post have an aircraft cable running to the reinforced fascia board with a turnbuckle, as well as a cable running the top perimeter of the post for support. In this picture you can see us installing the support wires.