should i get some more ?

[lizro]

Hi everyone. I got my first hens 6 weeks ago. I started with 8 rescues but sadly 3 died. My eglu cube will take up to 10 hens depending on size. I was advised that it is best to have enough hens to keep them warm in the cube - which is why I took 8 to start with. The hens free range all day in my garden so only go in the cube at night.The 5 hens now seem settled - dewormed and deflea'd. One is very hen pecked by the others - I did think maybe some new girls would make life easier for her. Any advice please ?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

New hens would change the pecking order.
I can't imagine that an eggloo is big enough for 10 hens. How big is it is square footage of floor space? All manufacturers over exaggerate how many birds can fit in their buildings. IMHO, most will quote a number that is akin to that used for cage battery hens.
It is absolutely unnecessary to have more birds to keep each other warm. It's unlikely to get cold enough in the UK to worry about chickens. It hit -19 F (-28C) here a couple winters ago. I have huge windows open on both the east and west walls of the coops and have never lost a bird to cold.

 

[aart]

Agrees with CC.

More hens would make the problem much worse....as crowding is probably already an issue.
Adding new birds increases pecking.......and you need extra space to facilitate integration.

Eglu's are pretty small and lacking in ventilation, I'd stick with your 5 hens and enjoy them.
Give it year, do some serious research about chicken behaviors and see what you learn,
decide next year if you need/want more birds

 

[lizro]

Hi Chickencanoe and Aart thanks for getting back to me and you have confirmed my thoughts. The cube is 6 square feet of roosting - 32"x27" then there is an egg laying area off that thru a porthole which is 12"x27" the hens are quite small and seem to move around easily so I would be surprised if they are overcrowded but very interested to hear your opinion on that. They don't spend any time in the run which is just 10' long it's just a shelter if it rains and we have a good size garden with lots of hedges bushes trees for them to forage and shelter.

 

[junebuggena]

Roosting space is not the same as coop sq footage. You need a minimum of 4 sq ft per bird of interior floor space. You need at least a foot of roosting space per bird. More is better so they have room to spread out on hot nights. It sound like you need to think about rehoming a few birds instead of adding more.

 

[aart]

Hi Chickencanoe and Aart thanks for getting back to me and you have confirmed my thoughts. The cube is 6 square feet of roosting - 32"x27" then there is an egg laying area off that thru a porthole which is 12"x27" the hens are quite small and seem to move around easily so I would be surprised if they are overcrowded but very interested to hear your opinion on that. They don't spend any time in the run which is just 10' long it's just a shelter if it rains and we have a good size garden with lots of hedges bushes trees for them to forage and shelter.

Roosting space is not the same as coop sq footage. You need a minimum of 4 sq ft per bird of interior floor space. You need at least a foot of roosting space per bird. More is better so they have room to spread out on hot nights. It sound like you need to think about rehoming a few birds instead of adding more.

Yeah there might be some semantics differences between US and UK.
The floor space of 32" x 27" is tiny, tiny for 5 birds...I don't know if eglu even have an actual roost/perch bar for them to sleep on.
Maybe with your climate is seems ok....but I seriously question the ventilation in the coop part at night when they need to be kept safe while sleeping.

ETA: 4 sq ft per bird is standard BYC floor space in coop alone, which is not enough in my freezing climate in winter.

 

[lizro]

Thanks both. I found a good thread on BYC and I don't think we're talking about the same thing. The eglu cube is just a roosting place - it isn't even on the floor - the hens access it by a ladder when they roost. The space where they roam from 6am to bedtime is about 450 feet by 120 feet - so don't think they are too cramped there. Thanks for your comments which motivated me to look at the other threads.

 

[aart]

Thanks both. I found a good thread on BYC and I don't think we're talking about the same thing. The eglu cube is just a roosting place - it isn't even on the floor - the hens access it by a ladder when they roost. The space where they roam from 6am to bedtime is about 450 feet by 120 feet - so don't think they are too cramped there. Thanks for your comments which motivated me to look at the other threads.

Do you not lock your birds in the coop(32" x 27") when they roost at night to protect them from predators?
Humidity and ammonia can build up in the roost area and cause respiratory issues and frostbite(if it freezes where you are).

What about when it pours rain all day long, where do they stay then?
Not sure you get snow on the ground where you are.