Coop Size and ventilation

[Welshies]

Overcrowding can lead to

• Feather picking
• Reduced egg production
• Dirty eggs
• Dirty birds
• Frostbite
• Cocci
• Disease and worms
• Mites
• Cannibalism
• Egg eating
• Self mutilation
• Fighting

 

[Welshies]

24 square feet with 10 chickens = just over 2 square feet per bird.

It could work.... but 90% of BYC people would never do it.
You give your chickens the amount of space I give my quail, OP. And have you seen quail? They are tiny.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

Can you combine the coops into one? Remove two walls and connect them?

 

[AmazingRachel]

It could work.... but 90% of BYC people would never do it.
You give your chickens the amount of space I give my quail, OP. And have you seen quail? They are tiny.

My cooperative extension gave the figure of 2.5-3.5 ft per bird. I'm not seeing any fighting and my chickens are mostly outside all day. They mostly use the coop for egg laying and roosting and that's about it. It's only recently with this cold snap that they've been spending 1/3 of their time in the coop and I've put windbreakers around the run. And my new coop has a covered run so that's what makes me think that I can put an extra bird to make it 10.

 

[Welshies]

My cooperative extension gave the figure of 2.5-3.5 ft per bird. I'm not seeing any fighting and my chickens are mostly outside all day. They mostly use the coop for egg laying and roosting and that's about it. It's only recently with this cold snap that they've been spending 1/3 of their time in the coop and I've put windbreakers around the run. And my new coop has a covered run so that's what makes me think that I can put an extra bird to make it 10.

Your cooperative extension, and tell me... do they have chickens of their own?
You've been lucky so far. Lucky. Once birds start to feather pick, it. Doesn't. Stop.

 

[Welshies]

It's not only for their piece of mind that the rule of thumb is 4 square feet of space per bird, but for their physical health too.
Your birds are overcrowded.
You are giving them the space my quail get. And quail are less than half a pound heavy.

 

[AmazingRachel]

Can you combine the coops into one? Remove two walls and connect them?

No, my small coop is a crappy pre-made coop that can barely hold a foot of snow on top and my big coop me and my dad made with solid 2x4s and 3/4 & 1/2 in. plywood.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

It's too bad you weren't here reading and talking about things before you built, could have avoided the issue easily and gone bigger. But there must be a solution that's easy to do if you want to keep that many birds. Could you add an addition to the new coop?

Also I'm guessing the cooperative extension quoted you egg industry standards. They would be focused on farmers needs for max return on investment.

 

[AmazingRachel]

Your cooperative extension, and tell me... do they have chickens of their own?
You've been lucky so far. Lucky. Once birds start to feather pick, it. Doesn't. Stop.

Yes, they do. I'm in 4-H so I know a lot of people with chickens where I live and they've given me similar figures. They've said that if the run is large and you let them free range, the coop size being below the 3-4 sq. ft. minimum isn't really an issue. And the winters aren't exactly brutal here (zone 6/7) with months of cold and darkness. Plus, my new run is covered and is protected from winds on two out of the four sides by my house and a retaining wall.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

If the run is big and covered why not pop the old coop under there attached to the new one? Solves the snow load issue. Easy enough to paint it up to match, condo expansion!