Are these dig okay for my hens?

[DonnaScott]

Could you tell me if my coop is good enough for 8 Guinea hens? After losing 4 to our neighbors shitty yard (abandoned) I got this chick run hoping to reset their brains by leaving them in there all day and letting them out a few hours after I get home.

It was going great until tonight when right before dark they flew back to the neighbors which they never do. We chased them back...usually they enjoy hanging out with us.

They usually hang at their coop when it gets dark and always try to roost on our deck at night.

I throw treats in the cage at night to get them in.....thoughts welcomed please.

 

[ValerieJ]

It looks kind of small to me. How big is it? Looks like 7 guineas to me. I'm not sure about the space needs of guineas, but for chickens it's 4 SF per bird of coop space and 10 SF per bird of run space.

 

[Meg-in-MT]

I'm sure you will continue to have issues with them leaving. That space is far too small for all of those guineas. Are you going to add on to the run?

 

[Unicornlife3316]

Uhm no. It’s not even big enough for two guineas, let alone 8.

Is that the coop you want them to sleep in permanently? Because based on pictures, it’s also not big enough for them to roost comfortably.

You’re going to have a lot of issues trying to keep them confined to such a small area. I have a 12 x 12 pen and that’s JUST for sleeping, mine freeRange from 7:30 AM to dusk.

You need a MUCH larger space, especially for a run, preferably with some grass and bugs, as they prefer to forage. That coop, needs to be MUCH bigger and guineas prefer to sleep as high as possible, mine have 6 ft roosts and always sleep at the tippy top.

Also.. I’ve mentioned this before, you really need to take care of the yard problem. Just because you lock them in this cage for how many ever weeks (which most of them probably won’t survive because they’ll start killing each other without enough space) and it’s not exactly predator proof, that doesn’t mean they won’t continuously want to free range there. They may come back to this thing to sleep but you’re not actually fixing the free range issue you’re having.

Mine range on about 5 acres out of 40, do you have adequate space for them, without going on neighbors properties?

 

[Unicornlife3316]

@R2elk, I can’t remember the ideal dimensions for a run/coop, could you share that information please? I have no experience with a run, as I free range, but I know it needs to be bigger and more secure than that.

 

[southwind00]

I believe 4 square feet per bird is what R2elk and everybody else says and that is not counting the space feeders and waterers take up. They also like height and about 2'' diameter perches. My original coop was way to small but they got by until the 'hormone games' started. My new 8 x 12 and 9 feet high will be housing 8 to 10 and maybe a few more on and off.

 

[R2elk]

@R2elk, I can’t remember the ideal dimensions for a run/coop, could you share that information please? I have no experience with a run, as I free range, but I know it needs to be bigger and more secure than that.

The minimum recommended clear floor space in a coop for guineas is 4 sq. ft. per adult guinea. Ten sq. ft. per adult guinea as additional run space is really cramped quarters. I would prefer a minimum of 50 sq. ft. run space for each adult guinea and even that is cramped quarters when breeding season rolls around.

With guineas there also needs to be hiding places for the ones that get picked on. All of this adds up to needing lots more space than the minimum that is recommended.

Guineas like to roost high so any coop that is height challenged is not going to work well. I am getting by with 13 guineas in an 8' x 12' coop. The short wall is 8' tall and the high wall is over 10' tall. The trusses are open and the guineas all work their way up there to roost.

During daylight hours, they have full access to a run that provides in excess of 1000 sq. ft. per adult guinea.

 

[pennyJo1960]

That space is for chickens not guinea they need more room

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I believe 4 square feet per bird is what R2elk and everybody else says and that is not counting the space feeders and waterers take up. They also like height and about 2'' diameter perches. My original coop was way to small but they got by until the 'hormone games' started. My new 8 x 12 and 9 feet high will be housing 8 to 10 and maybe a few more on and off.

Wow - nice coop!

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

The minimum recommended clear floor space in a coop for guineas is 4 sq. ft. per adult guinea. Ten sq. ft. per adult guinea as additional run space is really cramped quarters. I would prefer a minimum of 50 sq. ft. run space for each adult guinea and even that is cramped quarters when breeding season rolls around.

With guineas there also needs to be hiding places for the ones that get picked on. All of this adds up to needing lots more space than the minimum that is recommended.

Guineas like to roost high so any coop that is height challenged is not going to work well. I am getting by with 13 guineas in an 8' x 12' coop. The short wall is 8' tall and the high wall is over 10' tall. The trusses are open and the guineas all work their way up there to roost.

During daylight hours, they have full access to a run that provides in excess of 1000 sq. ft. per adult guinea.

That’s really an incredible run space!!! How in the world do you manage 13,000 square feet of run???