Adding More Chickens

Chicken , I have a question do the chicken lay eggs yet? Do they sleep( roost ) in the little coop? How much roost space inside there? I live in a cold climate so my hens sleep in a coop, so I was just trying to imagine your flock.
 
You have a very nice run, 'Chicken'. Mine is a lil bigger than yours, 300 sq. ft. and I have 14 hens and a Rooster in there, and its plenty big enough for them. I also have a enclosed coop attached to the run and its only 4'wide x 8'long x 7'tall and it's plenty of room for all my chickens, as well. :)
 
When I figure how much space they need, I don't just go by how much they need to be able to get away from each other. I look at how much space they need to scratch around in, take a dust bath, not have to rest in their poop, etc. I use moveable runs or portable coops to give them fresh ground and vegetation.
 
My covered run is 16 x 16 with a 9x9 coop, and net over the side wire and metal on top. The back of the coop is part of one side of the run with a pop door. A *woman* door to walk in and clean or collect eggs. I have two roosts above a poop board with PDZ on it. Makes cleaning a breeze and keeps the coop clean and dry and smell and fly free in summer. Currently since I have meat birds in the other pen/coop which is a 10 x 10 coop and run is 12 x 7, all my layers and rooster are in the other one. And it's winter. That makes 17 together which is a lot, they are fine until we butcher in 6 weeks. But to keep that many in that space can be stressful at times. I also have a lot of roosts in the run on every post at different levels. THAT makes a big difference, giving them additional space to have a *safe space* or to get away from Arnold. We have built every coop and were able to get a bully barn for the coop for only $500, which is cheap out west here. I also use plastic cans for feed as they don't sweat and mold feed especially in summer, and we only have 9 inches of precip every year. My daughter was smart, she got a boyfriend to build her a coop from plans on this site lol;). There are tons of ideas for coops on here if it helps, and those commercial little coops are not only worthless in real weather, but always too small and too expensive, especially for those just starting out raising chickens.
 
Side note: I’m getting a 250 square foot run that will house only 4 ducks. How many more would I be able to add? What is the square-footage-per-duck?
Your run is beautiful---I am envious. I like your colorful tires too, and we have the same kind in our garden with strawberry plants. Sorry I don't have an appropriate answer to your question but wanted to send a compliment to your beautiful coop...Best wishes with your expanded plans.
 
Your run is beautiful---I am envious. I like your colorful tires too, and we have the same kind in our garden with strawberry plants. Sorry I don't have an appropriate answer to your question but wanted to send a compliment to your beautiful coop...Best wishes with your expanded plans.
Thank you! I have more pictures on my Coop Article if you want to check that out 😊
 
Chicken , I have a question do the chicken lay eggs yet? Do they sleep( roost ) in the little coop? How much roost space inside there? I live in a cold climate so my hens sleep in a coop, so I was just trying to imagine your flock.
Yes all but my one retired hen lay. Yes the sleep in it, no there’s probably not enough room, it was a big mistake to listen to the ad which claimed space for up to 15 hens.... I’m working on something bigger right now, I hope you understand :)
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom