Appreciate some advice

[Big Mama Chicken]

Space is the issue. With that coop about 4 birds should fit, thank goodness that you have a much bigger run, or I think you would have had problems before this.

Personally I find a fighting flock ugly to be around. I know you want to keep all of them, but that might not be the best for them.

A lot depends on where you are in the world, what your climate is like, what kind of winters you have, and what kind of building resources you have.

Generally when the poullets start laying, they are accepted into the flock. Until then, they are a sub flock. It is kind of funny, cause you can definitely see the sub flock and then one day it is gone.

However, I think you are trying to get 8 birds to fit where 4-5 birds would be a better number for the space you have.

Choices:

• try the pines peepers
• reduce the size of your flock
• build bigger - rule of thumb 8 birds need about 32 square FEETcoop - so 4ft x 8 ft building, right now you have about a 3.3 ft x 3.3 ft, not anywhere near enough - especially if you truly have winter and short days and long nights.
• A run for 8 birds should be at least 8 x 10 feet - 80 square feet so you are good for that
• I would move the feeders apart, and I would set up a piece of cardboard or plywood, to make a mini wall and set up the feeder behind it, so that a bird eating at one, can't see a bird eating at another.

The real problem is more is not better when you have chickens.

Mrs K

My girls only sleep in the roost. They don't spend any daylight hours in there. Ironically, my roost has 4 roost bars and most of the time, they only sleep on 2 of them. They line up--head, tail, head, tail, head, tail on one bar in the winter and head, tail, head on one and tail, head, tail on an adjacent one in spring summer and fall. As a rule, they are out of the coop before daylight and don't go in until dusk or later. I put a fan in the roost box for them in the summer to circulate air.