Coop too Small?

chickmommarains

In the Brooder
Aug 20, 2015
15
0
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Hi everyone! I have been reading like crazy to try to get everything right for my first coop/run. I have 8 five week old chicks (2 Cochins, 2 Brahmas, 2 Buckeyes and 2 Bantams) living in my garage that need to go outside very soon. I have built an enclosed run 12'x8' with an elevated coop inside. A friend who has some experience came to help with building and design and built the coop 8'x2'. I am a little concerned the coop is too small. We plan to fence a large portion of our yard outside the run where we can let them roam during the day, so I'm not concerned about total space per bird, just the coop. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I'm also struggling with how to place the roost. I can post pictures if that might help. Thank you so much in advance for any words of wisdom.
 
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Yes, a picture would help.

Yes, it seems like it would be too small ...

How tall is it?

Are nesting boxes inside of the 2X8?

Welcome to BYC!
 
I had one other question. We lined the bottom of the run with stucco wire and I plan to fill with dirt for the ground. Will 1ft of dirt be enough for them to scratch in or should I cut out the wire in the center leaving a skirt, but allowing them a patch in the middle where they could dig as low as they want without hitting wire? Thank you again!!
 
Hi - and
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I'm thinking the coop is probably too small for 8 chickens, but part depends on where you live and whether your run is covered.

You might get away with it in Southern California, but not up North where they have to be inside out of the weather for long periods.

If you can, make the wire apron go out instead of in.
 
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Yes, the nesting boxes are inside too. It is about 3ft tall. I will post pictures shortly. I don't have the final wall up yet, but struggle with the best way to expand it structurally. I'm
 
FridayYet - I do plan on putting a roof on the run, so it will be dry. I am in Sacramento, CA where we get some rain (some years), but only maybe a few weeks out of the year where it drops below freezing at night.
 
Photos will definitely help to better understand your setup. Standard Cochins and Brahmas (which it sounds like you have) are large birds among other large fowl breeds --- 2 feet wide is not a whole lot of space for even smaller birds to stretch, extend wings, etc. While it is great that you plan to allow them to range the yard during the day, it is best to consider a worst case scenario (ie times you have an active predator stalking the flock, inclement weather for extended periods, etc) that makes it necessary to confine them strictly to the enclosed run or that they would further choose to stay within the confines of the coop itself and not even venture out into the run or yard.
 


This was my coop/run in So Cal. It was about 6 x 12 and the coop part was 3 x 6. It was good for 5 chickens.

I also let them out in the yard every evening for a few hours. Since it was secure, I never shut the pop door inside since it never got cold enough.
 

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