Anyone Have Mini Backyard Coops? Pics Please :)

[Bantam Username]

This is my mini coop, it really only holds 3 bantams but if I take out the central divider inside, add some nest boxes and make the perch bigger I reckon it'll fit 5-6 small bantams.
My brother in law built me this 5 or 6 years ago now, knowing nothing about chickens and I think he did a nice job.

So, show me your mini coops everybody!

 

[drumstick diva]

What are the dimensions of your little coop. Using the cat as a reference point, it does seem very small.

 

[Pharm Girl]

Wow! That is mini! My first coop was smallish. It only lasted a year before I upgraded to a much larger one, but I still use it for it's nesting boxes and as a broody coop. It's purple with a green street light lens in the side.
Wish I had better pictures of it, but...

 

[Bantam Username]

Excellent little coop.

My coop is quite small but my cat is also fairly big. Lol. I don't know the dimensions of my coop but its pitch black here so I'll measure it tomorrow. It was originally built for 2 Sebrights which it was perfect for. It currently houses 3 dutch which are much smaller, but inside it has a central dividing wall which is insulated and takes up a lot of space and obviously it currently has no nest boxes, I want to build some on the outside at some point.
Its square rather than rectangular so its fine for the tiny bantams but wouldn't fit more than 2 sebright sized (maybe 3 if nest boxes were built on the outside and the central divider was taken out), or for anything bigger than a sebright, obviously it would just fit one!

Edited to add: I think the run is 5 ft if I remember right.

 

[pawsplus]

Quote:
It's adorable! But IMO there is no way it will fit 5-6 chickens, even bantams. Personally, I wouldn't keep 3 in run that small. I would stick w/ what you have--don't add more unless you can build a bigger coop and run.

 

[Bantam Username]

You wouldn't keep 3 tiny bantams in a 5 ft run? I've seen breeders who keep pairs and trios in 4 ft indoor cages.

Anyway, as it stands this is only temporary for these guys. 2 of them are roos which need rehoming and I am saving up for a bigger coop. I want an 8ft by 8ft or 8ft by 9 ft run which I'm planning on having 8 bantams in. I'm still working on that end of the garden right now.

 

[Bantam Username]

Just been outside with a torch and measured! The run is 6ft by 2.5 ft. The house is 2Ft by 2.5 ft. So if large fowl need a square foot each and Bantams need less its perfect for 3 bantams and if I added the extra space it would be fine for 1 or 2 more.

(not that I'd keep more in it long term, I want my little guys to have loads of space not just by the book space)

 

[gryeyes]

Actually, LF need 4 square feet per bird inside and that's if they have a run with 10 sq ft per bird. If they have no run, then they need 10 sq ft of coop space apiece.

4 is the minimum, too.

 

[laseterlass]

This is mine. 4x4x2.5 in the front, 2 in the back. It houses 5 BOs. No exterior nest boxes, they all lay in the corner anyway. Seems crowded but in AK it gets cold and it does not have to be heated. They free range my yard during the snowless months.

 

[Bantam Username]

Quote:
Looks like I'm reading the wrong articles

What size hen house do I need for my chickens?

One accepted rule of thumb is to allow a minimum of a square foot per bird assuming you're letting them out to get exercise. So a small 4 foot by 3 foot house would hold 12 hens maximum. Don't forget that larger breeds require more space than smaller ones.

Ah well, they are only in it overnight anyway and at present are just 11 weeks old, as I said the 2 roos are waiting to go to new homes and I'll be integrating the lone hen with the 3 younger birds I have in the halfway house, I hope to have a bigger coop by the time I do introductions etc.
That would mean that an 8ft square run wouldn't do for 8 bantams then would it? Dammit, I'd better get a move on with the garden then.