Can a coop be too big?

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whitejerabias

whitejerabias

In the Brooder
8 Years
Dec 6, 2011
99
2
41
I want to have a flock of a dozen core birds and then allow them to hatch 20 or so in the spring. But I want to slaughter and store those extra birds in the fall. So while in the summer I'll have around 35, in the winter my flock will be back down to 12. Would a big coop that accommodates 35 birds be too large (and therefore cold) for 12 birds in the winter? Should I have a smaller coop for the winter. Can I get away with a small coop year round and then add some dog houses to the run each spring?
 
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Keep in mind that your hens may not be interested in hatching chicks in the spring. I've been chicken-keeping for many years and while I've had breeds that are said to go broody often, it was not until August that I got my first broody hen - and she is a BSL! If you want an extra 20 chicks to raise over the summer for slaughter, you may well find yourself purchasing chicks and raising them yourself in a brooder....
 
A 12x12 or 12x16 coop would be a great size for 30-40 birds. Chickens are a very hardy bird and as long as they are in a draft free environment with antiquate ventilation and dry bedding they should do well. I do not use supplemental heat. The only exception is younger birds that are hatched in the winter. I do not really encourage Broodies here but the best breeds i have found for hatching eggs are Cochin bantams ans Silkies. My Buff Orps try to occasionally but I wont let them! Keep us updated if and when your chicken math and coop building starts!

Nate
 
NEVER!!!! As long as it is tight. I use my barn as a coop sometimes, and it is not tight at all, it works fine but is not very secure from predators. It could be though.
 
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There are two truths: bills always expand to meet the extra money so there never really IS "extra" money, and Chickens always increase to fill the available coop space. They either do it naturally, or you add chickens yourself.
 
Can a coop be too big? This reminds me of the Trace Adkins song, I Ain't Never Had Too Much Fun

Too much fun whats that mean A Coop too big? what's that mean?
It's like too much money, theres no such thing It's like too many eggs, there's no such thing
It's like a girl too pretty, with too much class It's like a hen too pretty, with too much sass
Being too lucky, a car too fast Being too lucky, a broody too fast...
No matter what they say I've done, well I ain't never had too much fun Well I aint never had a coop too big
 

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