Do my chooks have enough room?

[jamayy]

Hi all I have a mama hen with 19 chicks and three old hens that currently live in 5 nest boxes in a cosy coop 2mtrs x 2 Mtrs x 2mtrs I only have them in the
Coop from 5pm-6am then they are free to roam around our acre block all day...should I build a bigger coop? It's the middle of winter here in Sydney and reaches 1 degree Celsius at night so to me having them cosy seems like not such a bad thing at night...I'm only a newbie to owning chooks so please no harsh criticism...

 

[Judy]

By our standard rule of thumb formula here, 1 adult per 4 sq ft of coop space, not counting nest boxes, your coop would be about 36 sq ft, or 9 chickens. In general, chickens stay in the coop about as long as yours do, or overnight, then are outside all day.

Different people "get away with" different arrangements, though. There is no ironclad rule for everyone. The thing is, if they feel crowded, you will most likely see heavy pecking, feather pulling, and eventually cannibalism. Also, in general, the more space they have, the happier they are, so the healthier and more productive they are. In addition, they are easier to care for in a larger space. I won't tell you that you are doing wrong, but I will tell you that I would not keep chickens as you do. Mine have a good deal more than the "formula" 4/10 sq ft.

Here is an excellent article about space:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-much-room-do-chickens-need

 

[jamayy]

Great thanks for your help @Judy looks like the girls will be getting a new house built

as a newbie I just thought because battery hens are put in tiny cages that chooks wouldnt need a great deal of room of a night. at night our girls don't really move a great deal just sort of huddle together.
You learn something new everyday!

 

[Judy]

They will often huddle at night in cooler weather. I really suspect they like the contact, being part of a group. But you will probably find they spread out in hot weather, even on the roost.

 

[jamayy]

Ah I see! Seeing as it gets so hot here in the summer months Ill definetly get them a new house..@Judy how many hens in each nesting box is comfortable? Like I said all of the girls huddle together and they never fight during the day or night

 

[DoubleMM]

I have to say, it's been between 103 to 109 (39 to 43 Celsius) here the past few weeks.... So to hear someone say middle of winter in July... The world is a big place

 

[Judy]

The rule of thumb here is one nest for 4 hens, for laying eggs, though, not sleeping. I would definitely discourage them from sleeping in the nest boxes, if you're not, or you will be washing poop off eggs forever.

Meanwhile, to our cold friends on the other side of the planet, lol: a danger of a small coop in winter is buildup of humidity and ammonia. The humidity is the main contributor to frostbite ( not low tem[s) and of course the ammonia is toxic. I've read that it does harm at levels too low to be detected by the human nose.