Coop / Run Size and Suitability

[reggiewac]

Hi guys,

This is my first post on the forum, so I'm learning an awful lot! Oh and hello from England

Just about to adopt two ex-battery hens with the hope of giving them a happy and fulfilling life in return for an egg or two

The question of coop / run size is troubling me! Take this one-

http://www.chickencoopsdirect.com/chicken-coops-kent.htm

Looks good right? It says it is suitable for 3 hens, but a closer look at the description and the run is only 12.8 sq ft. How can that be when the guideline is 10 sq ft per hen?

Do they really need 10 sq ft each? They will be confined to the coop / run during the day and allowed to roam the rest of the garden for an hour or two in the evening, and longer during the summer months and at weekends.

I don't want to get anything too small for them.

Any thoughts gratefully received!

Thanks,

Reggie

 

[patandchickens]

Frankly, for a battery hen, pretty much ANY backyard coop is a vast universe

But, that said, it is also sadly normal for sellers of prefab coops to GROSSLY overstate how many chickens should be in their product. "Can house" tends to mean "physically has enough roosting space for", rather than "it would be a GOOD IDEA to house..." To be fair, many of those mfrs would probably say either a) Oh, well, it's a lot better than battery-cage conditions, or b) Well you're not expected to keep them cooped during the day, they should be loose in your yard all daylight hours.

I guess the bottom line is that your hens are far, far better off with ANYthing you give them than what they've had thus far; but that the more space you can give them, the better, and it is best IMHO to completely ignore manufacturer claims.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat