Chicken Coop Remodeling Idea

[BubbaLikesIt]

Firstly, I can't ask for directions when I'm lost. But, I do need a little information about expanding my coop. My coop as it is right now will hold 16 chickens to roost comfortably. It's snug up in the roosting area but they do like it in Winter. I'm going to 24 chickens and need to expand my coop. Here is my question, can I build a seperate roosting area at the other end of the coop and the chickens will be okay with that, roosting in two seperate places. Will pecking order take charge and they will naturally seperate or will they all fight for one roost or the other?

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Wow you have 16 chickens in there? My chickens are spoiled I guess! I would build another set up just like your first one and join them at the run.

Gary

 

[BubbaLikesIt]

Wow you have 16 chickens in there? My chickens are spoiled I guess! I would build another set up just like your first one and join them at the run.

Gary

16 birds on that roost? Is that too small? 32 square feet for 16 birds roosting? Hell, there's ventilated heat and Lazy Boys in that coop. Oh, I see what your getting at. My chickens free range all day. They don't stay in the run. The feeders hang in the run and they drink out of the trough. The run is just for keeping food dry and a place to enter and exit the coop.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

16 birds on that roost? Is that too small? 32 square feet for 16 birds roosting? Hell, there's ventilated heat and Lazy Boys in that coop. Oh, I see what your getting at. My chickens free range all day. They don't stay in the run. The feeders hang in the run and they drink out of the trough. The run is just for keeping food dry and a place to enter and exit the coop.

I think you are more than maxed out, go big or go home! The extra 8 may as well be 80!

I have 7 in 160 sq ft building/run (coop linked to left) and just added 5 and I am maxed out.

Gary

 

[BubbaLikesIt]

Wow you have 16 chickens in there? My chickens are spoiled I guess! I would build another set up just like your first one and join them at the run.

Gary

I think you are more than maxed out, go big or go home! The extra 8 may as well be 80!

I have 7 in 160 sq ft building/run (coop linked to left) and just added 5 and I am maxed out.

Gary

Okay, Okay, Okay. That's nice but not needed. Roost room requires 2 square feet per chicken. My Grandfather kept his chickens in a 39' Ford Truck. I appreciate your input however wildly impractical and overly expensive it is. Ciao.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Maybe build another coop structure and pt on other end of run since they are out alll day?

IDK

Gary

 

[LittleMissCountry]

Sorry, can't answer your question about how the chickens would handle the addition, since I am new to chickens, but I just wanted to say that I love your coop!

 

[Ruralhideaway]

Climate and other factors can affect needed square footage but the general recommendation is 4 square feet indoors per bird. 1 linear foot of roost space each.

Your profile doesn't provide a general location, that would be helpful to know, affecting how much confinement they will have to bear in the winter. 4 square feet in my climate wouldn't cut it, they don't want to go out in bad weather and if they had to do so to avoid being pecked they'd get frost bite.

So a little more info would help thanks.

 

[aart]

Climate and other factors can affect needed square footage but the general recommendation is 4 square feet indoors per bird. 1 linear foot of roost space each.

Your profile doesn't provide a general location, that would be helpful to know, affecting how much confinement they will have to bear in the winter. 4 square feet in my climate wouldn't cut it, they don't want to go out in bad weather and if they had to do so to avoid being pecked they'd get frost bite.

So a little more info would help thanks.

Ditto Dat^^^
Pics of inside, please @BubbaLikesIt ?
Ignore Gary, sometimes he needs a

 

[BubbaLikesIt]

Climate and other factors can affect needed square footage but the general recommendation is 4 square feet indoors per bird. 1 linear foot of roost space each.

Your profile doesn't provide a general location, that would be helpful to know, affecting how much confinement they will have to bear in the winter. 4 square feet in my climate wouldn't cut it, they don't want to go out in bad weather and if they had to do so to avoid being pecked they'd get frost bite.

So a little more info would help thanks.

I live in deep west Texas. It can get cold here but not all years. This last winter was mild and the year before that it got down into the teens. Just depends. My chickens have two 8' roosts at equal height. They never stay in the coop except for sleeping or laying. They'll go out in neck deep snow without a care. It's the summer heat that worries me a little. I have fan ventilation but 112 is still 112. They duck for cover in the heat and stand in the water by the trough. I've made up my mind to build another coop at the other end of the existing run. That should be enough room for 8 more chickens. If Gary reads this, I ain't installing air conditioning. Those chickens can sit and sweat like the rest of us.