Anyone have a coop to SMALL???

[Half-a-dozen]

Hi-a all!

Does anyone have a coop to small?
We have an 8x8 coop for the new (5 week old) girls. The secure run is 9x10 but I plan on having an additional "partial" free range run as well for more room.
Problem is I'm addicted as my DH calls it to chickens!!!

I went to the farm store yesterday and they got new really awesome looking chicks in. The colors are magnificent already and I want some so bad!!! They are soooo CUTE!!!

The minimum to purchase is six, I already have 12, which may not sound like a lot to many of you who keep a small petting zoo but to my DH it's overwhelming as this too is his first experience w/ animals/ pets ever. We have the property to expand the coop but it just took him 3 weeks to build the current "super coop" (as he calls it) they now have.
Nothin really "super" about it, It's basically just a nice shed just took the DH a bit longer to complete.

Anyhow- What would chicken life be like if I added just a few more to the group?
Will they be tramendously overcrowed as I wouldn't want situations to become unhealthy for them. I am just having a hard time visualizing what they will look like in there fully grown.

What if I paid for 6 at the store and only took two??? I really want them!!!

 

[justusnak]

OK, with an 8x8 coop.....thats 64 sq ft. Full size chickens need 4 sq ft a piece....so...safely you could have..... 13 chickens. Now, do NOT tell your DH I said that! LOL I dont want him mad at me! LOL The run might be a bit small for that many, but if they are free ranging every day....wont be too bad. ( say......GO GET EM GIRL!!! HAHAH!!

 

[Half-a-dozen]

So I already have 12, one more would be my max. Would anyone squeeze another in there or is this just pushing it?

 

[BeckyLa]

One thing you might want to think about, are you going to let 1 or 2 of your hens hatch their eggs? If so, you'll want room for the babies too. If not, yes you could probably get away with one, maybe two, or even three if they're outside a lot during the day.

 

[polychickens]

BWAAH-Haa-ha, <cough, sputter>, Deb, that was hilarious!

Sure, 64 sq ft divided by 4=13...if you side with her DH. But the chicken lover in me must come clean and round up to 16 for a 64 sq ft area.

Enjoy your new chicks!
Polychickens
...so many pretty pullets I can't count 'em...

 

[lurky]

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!

I finished reading your post and i had to check to see if i wrote it.
I have developed the chicken fever too. I have 10 and just want 2 more.
But i just know i will always want 2 more. Everytime i see another breed i want
that too. I can talk myself out of some........but its killing me. I want to sell my house and buy a little farm. Then i can get as many as i want. Then i can have a rooster and let the hens just hatch all they want. The only support i am getting on all this is from my Brittany Spaniel who just keeps licking his chops.

 

[BeckyLa]

 

[Queen of the Lilliputians]

LOL! I could have written it, too! I am SO SO glad my local feedstore doesn't have chicks (unless you order). Otherwise.. well, my hubby would probably make me sleep in the henhouse with the horde!

He told me I could have 12 (up from the three originally), and a rooster. Well.. I've decided that means 12 hens and a roo, so that's 13, right?? I already have 10, and maybe one is a roo.. so that's 3 more right? Except.. well, you have to order MORE than that so I'm trying to figure out how long I have to wait to build up to a flock of 20!

Jeez, hubby DID say we need to have an Easter Egger! Does that make 14, or is that still part of the original 12?!

I can see it would be easy to outgrow a coop in record fast time! I don't really know how the folks on here keep their numbers within reason. Those chickens will end up with a bigger house than we have in NO TIME! Payback for hubbies huge garage project, maybe?

Meghan

 

[kstaven]

64 divided by 4 is 16 guys.

If you are in a cold climate, dropping that to 3 square feet per bird will keep your chickens much more comfortable during the winter. Of course you would need more run area to compensate. But that would allow 21 chickens. in an 8x8.

 

[silkiechicken]

I've had 24 in a 8x8 cage/coup at one time. It was cramped but my birds did have free range of the whole place all day. All it matters is you can keep it clean.