Be honest....

[EggSighted4Life]

That’s what I did with my original flock, I haven’t been able to find any takers this time, though.

Maybe advertise on Craigslist for some takers? Or post a note at a laundromat or near a local health food store, pin boards they often have, or even at the feed store itself? Or get and raise the birds and sell the ones you don't like as much, out of the bunch?

I'm sure glad we don't have minimums here in CA... though I do understand the reasoning behind it. What a pain.

 

[BantyChooks]

I have 4.8 square feet per bird in my coop. They were happiest when they had 9 square feet of space in the coop, not counting run space. Can they survive on less? Yup. Can they be happy? Well...

Whilst I see no reason to confine and coop up birds any more than you possibly have to, even in the name of chicken math, it's your choice. Climate definitely has an impact—I live in a very snowy and cold climate, so, my birds would go nuts and so would my cleaning time if I tried to keep them cooped up with 1sq foot of space each for as long as I have to every year. They free range in summer but there's still half of the year the snow is too deep for them to go out in. I don't know about you guys, but I am not shovelling my yard for them!

Also, I think that having multiple levels is the only way something as low as three or four sq ft CAN work. Birds are birds, not windup pocket pets you can box after you're done playing with them. My coop is 12' x 12' and I have about 30 birds in it. Most of them are LF hens/cocks, but 9 are ducks and 3 are bantam chickens. I do not have bully birds, but they definitely have their squabbles and require space, levels, and judicious removal from flock to remain happy.

I cringe when I see chickens kept in a dinky little prefab size coops, just like I cringe when I see horses kept in a corral permanently or goats stuck in a box stall. And people wonder why their animals have health problems. Just my take on things. Good luck with your birds!

 

[Trellinius]

I believe the space requirements for a coop depend on how much time they are going to spend in them. I live in central/southern Missouri so it does get cold here - but I free range the birds every day. They only go in the coop at night, or briefly during the day to lay an egg.

Having said that my coop is 48" by 52" including the floor level nests. There is one 48" roosting bar - room enough for my five, but my rooster (Cogburn) won't share it with anyone! so everyone else sleeps on the floor.

I have two roosters and three hens. I might could get by with one more hen, but no more than that, and I am even inclined to not do so until I get red of Colonel Grey.

Of course the commercial poultry houses have birds in cages that are a lot less that 3SF, and they are stacked three and four layers high . . . so they can't peck each other and fight, they just get to crap on one another.

Anyhow, a lot factors come into play, but mainly how much time are they going to spend in the coop.

 

[Lifewithchicks]

Maybe advertise on Craigslist for some takers? Or post a note at a laundromat or near a local health food store, pin boards they often have, or even at the feed store itself? Or get and raise the birds and sell the ones you don't like as much, out of the bunch?

I'm sure glad we don't have minimums here in CA... though I do understand the reasoning behind it. What a pain.

Those are all great ideas, thank you!

 

[PirateGirl]

Have you been on your state thread on BYC? You may find a breeder or someone who has purchased more chicks than they need due to this rule or an upcoming swap where you can get just a few birds.

 

[Cheers2Ya]

Hi! Chickens are so fun and I have learned soooo much since beginning two years ago! I researched all over this site when I was ready to begin and found so many knowledgeable and willing-to-help folks here.

Anyway, my coop is a 6x8 ft insulated shed that I added 4 vents and a window to. I also added an automatic pop door that opens at sunup and closes at dusk. My run is 16x24 feet enclosed, and divided down the middle with the intention of being able to close one side to allow grass to recover if needed. It has not been needed yet, but that is likely due to the crew being allowed to free range all day. I very rarely have to close the run door. In fact, the only time I have closed it is when I've just planted my vegetable garden and had to give the crops a few weeks to grow and become established before the chickens discovered them.

I have 12 chickens now (2 of them are roosters), and there are five more pullets in the brooder. They have two 8 foot roost boards, at different levels, which works for them. There is enough room for all of them on the higher board, but some choose to use the slightly lower board. In my situation, I am confident the chickens all have ample space, because they are in the coop only to lay eggs or roost in the evening. I live in North Dakota and they choose to run around outside even in the freezing weather. When it's windy, they generally stay in their run, or close to it, where there is protection.

When I first got my chickens, I was not sure how my 3 dogs would react to them and they were locked up in the run continuously for the first couple months. Eventually, I found that my dogs really had no interest in harming them and they've been living harmoniously for 2 years. I have a labxhusky, a full blooded, working German Shorthair, and a full Portuguese Pointer, and they are protective of my flock.

I guess my point is, all of our situations vary one from another. There are people who would NEVER put 17 birds in a coop my size, but they may have a different set up than I have. And likewise, what works for someone else may not work well for me.

 

[Lifewithchicks]

Have you been on your state thread on BYC? You may find a breeder or someone who has purchased more chicks than they need due to this rule or an upcoming swap where you can get just a few birds.

Like the “where am I? Where are you?” ? Sorry I’m new here! I did look but I’m in Texas so it’s an enormous thread and looked like it was just people saying their locations?

 

[PirateGirl]

Like the “where am I? Where are you?” ? Sorry I’m new here! I did look but I’m in Texas so it’s an enormous thread and looked like it was just people saying their locations?

Just skip to the last page. Introduce yourself and ask if anyone can recommend a breeder nearby or wants to split a chick order or whatever you need. My state thread is thousands of pages. I just skip to the end and read posts from time to time. There is also a buy/sell/trade section on BYC as well as breeder lists. Also your state may have a poultry Facebook group you could join. Usually that will be quite active if it exists.

 

[bobbi-j]

Like the “where am I? Where are you?” ? Sorry I’m new here! I did look but I’m in Texas so it’s an enormous thread and looked like it was just people saying their locations?

You could start a thread over there. Something like, "Looking for Texans in the ..... area!" You don't have to state your own town if you don't want to, but something close.

 

[MaMaher]

Oh my... Apparently, I do not follow the rules. Sounds like I need a bigger coop! I have 4 chickens and they have a little more than 2 sq ft each... They are only in there for a short time before they are let out into the yard...mostly just to sleep. Is that bad?