Chicks Don’t Like Their Coop?

[KristyB]

First thing, I'd grab a measuring tape and get measurements for floor space of the middle box area itself, and then the entire unit, with nest boxes on both sides. Just want to make sure we're using correct numbers first of all.

Obviously you were hoping to have more than enough space, but manufacturers are sneaky. The reason they claim a coop like this can hold 15 is because they're calculating by factory farm conditions, and many backyard keepers try to avoid just that. My area only requires 1 sq ft per hen - if you see an adult hen, they take up 1 sq ft just standing still!

Because your climate is usually moderate and dry you can possibly pack in birds a little more because there won't be many days where they'll want to remain inside, but each night they should be in there for safety.

I started off with a prefab as well and I think underestimating the amount of space you need, as well as how quickly you need a coop due to the speed chicks grow up at, are two of the most common mistakes first time chicken owners make.

I have been trying to get out there to measure but my 4 mo old isn’t making that easy. I’ll definitely do that today. And, no, I don’t want those kinds of conditions for my chicks! It almost never rains here and it’s rarely freezing so I’m hoping my coop is ok.

 

[KristyB]

This is my coop and it was stated 8-10 chickens. I am going to be right with just 4. Sneaky manufacturers! Hope your modifications help out! Super cute coop

It’s a cute coop! And, yeah. They are sneaky. I’m really angry, honestly.

 

[KristyB]

Well, those tiny coops, often called 'Doll Houses' or 'Easy Bake Ovens' by the experienced, can be great grow out coops for chicks or a broody hen, or a 'hospital' or 'jail' coop.
So keep it out of the weather(they are also notoriously susceptible to rot) and it may be useful for years.

We don’t plan on staying here for too long. We will do better at our next house (which will hopefully be in the country).

 

[aart]

They are sneaky. I’m really angry, honestly.

Typical marketing ploy, untruths that are really bald faced lies.
It's part of everything we buy...most people are oblivious to it.
Life long pet peeve of mine,
I taught my kids young to read the fine print and look for the word puzzles-easy to see if you're honestly skeptical.

 

[rosemarythyme]

We don’t plan on staying here for too long. We will do better at our next house (which will hopefully be in the country).

Worst case scenario, use it for a while with some modifications for ventilation and hopefully to encourage them to roost, and see how they do with it. If you really do end up moving, build a much larger coop at that time, if you still enjoy chicken keeping and plan to add on.

I started with a prefab coop because I wanted to make sure chickens were right for us and then upgraded 2 years later. My prefab was just big enough, but not ideal. I did get good use out of it afterwards by reusing parts of it to make a brooder, a covered feed station, and a waterer stand.

 

[KristyB]

Typical marketing ploy, untruths that are really bald faced lies.
It's part of everything we buy...most people are oblivious to it.
Life long pet peeve of mine,
I taught my kids young to read the fine print and look for the word puzzles-easy to see if you're honestly skeptical.

I am sure learning. There are so many lies.

 

[KristyB]

Worst case scenario, use it for a while with some modifications for ventilation and hopefully to encourage them to roost, and see how they do with it. If you really do end up moving, build a much larger coop at that time, if you still enjoy chicken keeping and plan to add on.

I started with a prefab coop because I wanted to make sure chickens were right for us and then upgraded 2 years later. My prefab was just big enough, but not ideal. I did get good use out of it afterwards by reusing parts of it to make a brooder, a covered feed station, and a waterer stand.

I’ll probably do something similar. I’m loving having the chickens and I don’t see giving them up unless I had to. We are learning and will definitely use what we learn in the future.

 

[KristyB]

First thing, I'd grab a measuring tape and get measurements for floor space of the middle box area itself, and then the entire unit, with nest boxes on both sides. Just want to make sure we're using correct numbers first of all.

Obviously you were hoping to have more than enough space, but manufacturers are sneaky. The reason they claim a coop like this can hold 15 is because they're calculating by factory farm conditions, and many backyard keepers try to avoid just that. My area only requires 1 sq ft per hen - if you see an adult hen, they take up 1 sq ft just standing still!

Because your climate is usually moderate and dry you can possibly pack in birds a little more because there won't be many days where they'll want to remain inside, but each night they should be in there for safety.

I started off with a prefab as well and I think underestimating the amount of space you need, as well as how quickly you need a coop due to the speed chicks grow up at, are two of the most common mistakes first time chicken owners make.

I measured my coop. The “living quarters” without the nesting boxes is 39.5”x39.5”. The two nesting boxes are 32.5”x13.5”

 

[rosemarythyme]

I measured my coop. The “living quarters” without the nesting boxes is 39.5”x39.5”. The two nesting boxes are 32.5”x13.5”

So if you change one bank of nest boxes to open space by removing any dividers or partitions, that's just under 14 sq ft. Minimum recommendation here is 4 sq ft per bird of open floor space inside the coop (total 32 sq ft for your flock). So you can see it's hard to find a premade coop that's big enough to house more than 3 or 4. But you might be able to get by for a while thanks to your climate, as your birds won't be inside much, just keep a real close eye on behavior.

Good news is if you move the roosts up or install new ones (not sure how many bars it came with, but you'd want 2 in this set up), you should have enough roost space for all.

 

[aart]

Don't think you can really count the non-used nest area as floor space,
it's more about roost length and the ability to navigate the roosts(getting up and down).
Putting 2 roosts in there up above nest doesn't give much landing area, if they can even get up there.
I would only put 1 roost in, 12" away from the wall, leaving 2' to jump down, 3 birds.