Big enough for 4-5 Chickens?

[brierose3]

we are rescuing 3 ex battery hens and maybe later on we will buy two barter chicks (i think barter is a cross)
anyway we urgently need a chicken coop and since were not all that great at carpentry and building, purchasing one would be the fastest option.

The coops dimensions...

Total Footprint Coop 960 x 2220mm (inc. nesting box's)​

it says it suits 4-5 chickens but would like to get some more opinions since its coming from a pet shop. The measurements are in mm. We will extend the run about 10 square metres as well as free ranging the chickens in the backyard as much as possible.

Thank You!!

 

[cknkids]

Well I'm the geek who has to do the conversions... 340mm = 13.4 in, 960mm = 3.14 ft, 700mm = 2.3 ft & 2200 mm = 7.22 ft
There is only about 13" under the hen house, I think 18 in. is suggested. The hen house is 7.23 sq ft and the run including the area under the hen house is only 22.7 sq ft. (15.5 sq ft if you don't count the area under the hen house) So if you follow guidelines of 4 sq ft of house space and 10 sq ft of run space it would be pretty tight. You might use this unit as the hen house and put it in a enclosed run as others have. Its amazing how the chicks grow into chickens ours have changed so much this year. Good luck and enjoy.

 

[BrittBergh]

Looks big enough for 5 standard size TOPS, and be comfortable. Its cute but it probably won't last more than a few years. We have a prefab and looks to be the same type of wood. I thought it would be alright and be fine but the more its used the less I think of it honestly.

 

[Time-Out]

You'll find it very small. I bet the hens won't go under the coop much. 34cm isn't very tall. The ramp also takes up a lot of run space.

These are used in the UK a lot and I hate them with a vengence. In my opinion, they are worse than battery cages as the hens are forced to stand outside, hock deep in their own poo, in all weather. At least this version has windows on the coop. The ones sold in the UK don't even have that.
The run is about 3' by 6', which is 18sqft, minus the 1sqft taken up by the ramp, comes to 17sqft for 5 chickens... That's without the perches that would also take up valuable run space.

It's not made from soft wood, it's made from ultra soft wood in China. I can't remember the trees, but they are very fast growing ones, which means that the wood rots really fast. A regular preserver on it doesn't work well, you'd need either paint or varnish.

Sorry if what I say sounds harsh, I'm just trying to give you some facts (and opinions!) on it. It would be tight even for 2 LF chickens. I wish sellers wouldn't put impossible figures on their adverts. This would be lovely for a pair of bantams.

Have you considered a small shed?

 

[aart]

Coop is approximately 6 sq ft would fit 1 1/2 chickens minimum IMO.

 

[cstronks]

Looks big enough for 5 standard size TOPS, and be comfortable. Its cute but it probably won't last more than a few years. We have a prefab and looks to be the same type of wood. I thought it would be alright and be fine but the more its used the less I think of it honestly.

Did you weatherproof the coop...it wouldn't hurt to coat the wood in weatherproofing a second time. That should add a few years of extra life to it.

 

[Hawgon]

I think if you just had the coop for them to sleep in they would be fine but if you tried to keep them in that run/coop arrangement it is way to small for more than a couple of chickens. To be honest I did not no any better when I got my chickens and I have a half dozen in a prefab coop that I got off craigslist and did some upgrading to. My coop is in a protected run so is not directly in the weather and I think will last forever as it never get or stays wet. My birds are very, very, very rarely ever confined to there run and free-range in our yard every day with grass, bugs and fresh salad mix(from my work). That being said if you intend to keep them in the run all the time I believe they not only need more coop room but alot more run space also or you will have health and bullying problems. I have since cut the top off the coop and added a higher roof and roosting bars as with a design like this and the one your are thinking about they will sleep in the next boxes unless you put roosting bars higher than the next boxes. I found they go in just before dark and sleep and then are out first thing in the morning. I will get some updated pics to show later. They do not sleep in the boxes at all now and all of them sleep on the roosting bar. Think of them as people, we would all be happier in a mansion on 100 acres but we can do with much less if the conditions are right.
Best of luck to you

 

[brierose3]

thank you!! Also is it possible to add onto the size of the prefab coops? And we will only be getting 3 hens now

 

[BrittBergh]

Did you weatherproof the coop...it wouldn't hurt to coat the wood in weatherproofing a second time. That should add a few years of extra life to it.

We did three coats of water seal and some paint...Im not too worried now that we built a bigger coop. Knowing how easy it was!


You can add onto a prefab coop, the side walls were easily removable so I mean you COULD do it...adding the the run is easiest. If this is going to be your one and only coop I would look into something else..it wont really last PLUS rarely do you have "just 3 hens"...not being mean but they tend to multiply fast! chicken math they call it.

 

[cstronks]

thank you!! Also is it possible to add onto the size of the prefab coops? And we will only be getting 3 hens now

You can certainly add on to a prefab coop...the prefab structure is a great to build around. Expanding the run is easier than the coop itself, but if you are crafty and have some spare time you could certainly open up one side and expand. (You could probably do it very cheap too, you'll just lose all of the aesthetic appeal)!