Better use of space ideas

[3KillerBs]

I currently have 10 birds in there.

5x7 is not large enough for 10 even before you add 7 more. It's only enough for 8, and that's tight.

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

For 17 hens you need:

• 68 square feet in the coop -- 8x8 or 6x12
• 170 square feet in the run -- about 12x14
• 17 linear feet of roost
• 17 square feet of ventilation -- except that my experience in a climate not quite as hot as yours is that I should double the ventilation space or even triple it UNLESS the coop is located in deep shade.
• 4-5 nest boxes.

Combining coop and run into an Open Air coop is an excellent option in a hot climate.

This is mine: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/large-open-air-coop-in-central-nc.1443812/

And some others:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/jens-hens-a-southern-texas-coop.75707/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-positive-local-action-coop.72804/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/california-living.68130/

 

[Harmoni]

5x7 is not large enough for 10 even before you add 7 more. It's only enough for 8, and that's tight.

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

For 17 hens you need:

• 68 square feet in the coop -- 8x8 or 6x12
• 170 square feet in the run -- about 12x14
• 17 linear feet of roost
• 17 square feet of ventilation -- except that my experience in a climate not quite as hot as yours is that I should double the ventilation space or even triple it UNLESS the coop is located in deep shade.
• 4-5 nest boxes.

Combining coop and run into an Open Air coop is an excellent option in a hot climate.

This is mine: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/large-open-air-coop-in-central-nc.1443812/

And some others:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/jens-hens-a-southern-texas-coop.75707/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-positive-local-action-coop.72804/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/california-living.68130/

They have 10 ft of roost space. Do you know the reasoning for 4sqft per bird in the coop? I'm just curious. If we count the secure run as coop space, we add another 8x5 space. Their pop door is always open to it. I'm not sure that anyone would use it as living space though because it is only 4.5 ft tall or so. It's under a playhouse.

 

[Windrider]

That run is only predator proof for daytime. If you leave the pop door open all the time (including the night) you are VERY lucky that no raccoons have picked off your flock. It is only a matter of time.

You could still make your coop open air. Just take the wall facing the run down to studs and hardware cloth it. Then you could ditch the fan and make your roosts L shaped.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

You could open the whole top half of the front and cover with hardware cloth, leave the exhaust fan, and lower your roosts a bit. My coop has a solar powered exhaust fan in the back, half open front, L shaped roosts, and 1 ramp although my heavy girls are the only ones that use it

 

[aart]

Do you know the reasoning for 4sqft per bird in the coop?

I think someone doubled the poultry industry's more generous guidelines so it's oft repeated as if written in stone.... but really not a bad minimum.
Crowding can cause all kinds of environmental(bad air quality) and behavioral(pecking unto cannibalism) problems.
Much can depend on the climate and the birds themselves.
Here in the dead of winter during nasty storms with no run protection even 6sqft per bird was too little space, chicken cabin fever is real and it can get ugly.

A good environment is important for keeping chickens, lots of space and ventilation.
Integrating new birds into a flock works best with extra space.

 

[Harmoni]

That run is only predator proof for daytime. If you leave the pop door open all the time (including the night) you are VERY lucky that no raccoons have picked off your flock. It is only a matter of time.

You could still make your coop open air. Just take the wall facing the run down to studs and hardware cloth it. Then you could ditch the fan and make your roosts L shaped.

We have 2 runs. A day time and secure. The secure run is under the playhouse. It is 1/2 hardwire cloth all the way around and 5 ft down. On the left side of this pic is the secure run.

 

[3KillerBs]

They have 10 ft of roost space. Do you know the reasoning for 4sqft per bird in the coop? I'm just curious. If we count the secure run as coop space, we add another 8x5 space. Their pop door is always open to it. I'm not sure that anyone would use it as living space though because it is only 4.5 ft tall or so. It's under a playhouse.

These numbers are not a magic formula -- this article is helpful about that: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-much-room-do-chickens-need.66180/ -- but they are very old Ag Science from before commercial flocks were intensively managed by debeaking, using forced air ventilation, etc.

 

[Harmoni]

So I talked to my husband and we are going to take half of the back wall out, extend the roof and built a 2 wall open extension. The nest boxes will be moved to the back wall where the fan is. We will have an L roost bar in the original coop and a second roost bar in the extension. I will keep posting updates here for ideas as we progress.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

So I talked to my husband and we are going to take half of the back wall out, extend the roof and built a 2 wall open extension. The nest boxes will be moved to the back wall where the fan is. We will have an L roost bar in the original coop and a second roost bar in the extension. I will keep posting updates here for ideas as we progress.
View attachment 2974855

Or you could just make an awning Here are some pics of my coop for ideas if ya want. 1 is before the L was put in. Can't wait to see your progress!

 

[Harmoni]

Or you could just make an awning Here are some pics of my coop for ideas if ya want. 1 is before the L was put in. Can't wait to see your progress!

We have 7 eggs in an incubator so the addition is needed for space. It will make our coop then 10x7 plus the 8x5 secure run. We are going to start working on it next weekend. This weekend, we have to get our brooder setup as lockdown is next friday