Coop size

[jennaron24]

Hello, I was given a coop that is 2 1/2 feet wide and 16 1/2 feet long and about 3 feet height. Is this coop big enough for 14 chickens? I have it attached to a 20 x 10 run

 

[ColoradoPip]

Looks like a score for a free coop! I would feel good with 10-14 birds. 10 would be great and 14 might work but you will need to monitor that many to make sure some aren't getting bullied too much.

What's the inside look like? Nest boxes on the other side, not pictured?

 

[rosemarythyme]

14 might be tight but I agree with Pip, I'm curious about the layout. Never seen such a long narrow unit... is it really a single unit inside? How are roosts laid out in there? I assume one long roost down the center or something?

It really needs ventilation (unless there's more than just that one window in rear?) but not sure how you'd get it in there...

 

[jennaron24]

I took some pics of the inside. The person that gave me the coop said he had 20 chickens. There was only 5 nesting boxes so I added a 2nd story nesting boxes. Now there is a total of 8. I do have another small coop I bought from tractor supply. Says it holds up to 8.

 

[ColoradoPip]

This is just my opinion...overall it looks great!

I would remove the top row of nest boxes, 5 boxes should be enough for 14 chickens.

As rosemarythyme said you may need more ventilation, I see the one vent but nothing across from it to promote air exchange when the coop door is closed.

Space wise...Those nest boxes are taking up 4'x1' of space, so your coop is really (2.5x12) + 4 =34 sq ft. Most people recommend 4 sq ft per bird (I've had success with 3 sq ft with a lot of run space, personally, and every flock is different).

This means that you have enough space for 8.5 recommended birds or 11 birds based on my minimum. If you put 20 birds in there, that would be 1.7 sq ft per bird which might work for one person with certain birds, but would not be recommended.

At 14 birds, you are looking at 2.42 sq ft per bird. Will it work, maybe. Did 20 work...quite possibly. Could you experience issues with as few as 10 or 12, possibly. There are many variables which you need to consider (bird sizes, breeds, temperaments, ages, etc.). Just remember, if the birds are not happy they will pick on each other and you will then have a worse situation to deal with.

I am guessing the coop from tractor supply would really hold 3 based on experience.

Not trying to make it sound like you can't have 14, I just want to provide you as much information as I can so you can make decisions and be prepared for all the potential outcomes

Good luck!!

 

[jennaron24]

This is just my opinion...overall it looks great!

I would remove the top row of nest boxes, 5 boxes should be enough for 14 chickens.

As rosemarythyme said you may need more ventilation, I see the one vent but nothing across from it to promote air exchange when the coop door is closed.

Space wise...Those nest boxes are taking up 4'x1' of space, so your coop is really (2.5x12) + 4 =34 sq ft. Most people recommend 4 sq ft per bird (I've had success with 3 sq ft with a lot of run space, personally, and every flock is different).

This means that you have enough space for 8.5 recommended birds or 11 birds based on my minimum. If you put 20 birds in there, that would be 1.7 sq ft per bird which might work for one person with certain birds, but would not be recommended.

At 14 birds, you are looking at 2.42 sq ft per bird. Will it work, maybe. Did 20 work...quite possibly. Could you experience issues with as few as 10 or 12, possibly. There are many variables which you need to consider (bird sizes, breeds, temperaments, ages, etc.). Just remember, if the birds are not happy they will pick on each other and you will then have a worse situation to deal with.

I am guessing the coop from tractor supply would really hold 3 based on experience.

Not trying to make it sound like you can't have 14, I just want to provide you as much information as I can so you can make decisions and be prepared for all the potential outcomes

Good luck!!

Thank you for your answer. I am still a newbie at raising chickens. I had 8 chickens almost 2 yrs ago that all got killed by 2 dogs. Since then I have rebuilt the entire run and made alot of safety changes to it. I have 14 baby chicks breeds are black sex links, black asains, iso browns and orphingtons. I did notice about 1/2 inch gap around the edge of the roof and walls of coop for ventilation. Where else should I include vents in the coop.

Again thanks for your input.

 

[cluckadoodledoo13]

That looks big enough for the amount you want! Good luck with your chickens.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Thanks for opening it up for photos and also adding the breeds you're getting. One big issue I see is lack of roost space. For 14 birds you'd need roughly 14' of roost. As it currently stands, you have (by my estimate) 7 1/2' (2 full width @ 2.5', 2 half width @ 1.25'). You'd need to double the amount of roosts.

I would remove the top row of nest boxes, 5 boxes should be enough for 14 chickens.

As rosemarythyme said you may need more ventilation, I see the one vent but nothing across from it to promote air exchange when the coop door is closed.

This means that you have enough space for 8.5 recommended birds or 11 birds based on my minimum. If you put 20 birds in there, that would be 1.7 sq ft per bird which might work for one person with certain birds, but would not be recommended.

At 14 birds, you are looking at 2.42 sq ft per bird. Will it work, maybe. Did 20 work...quite possibly. Could you experience issues with as few as 10 or 12, possibly. There are many variables which you need to consider (bird sizes, breeds, temperaments, ages, etc.). Just remember, if the birds are not happy they will pick on each other and you will then have a worse situation to deal with.

You only need 1 nest per 4-5 birds, so that is way more nest boxes than you need.

Really tough to figure out how to vent this. I'd almost want to cut openings in the wall across from each access door (and maybe in the doors themselves as well) and put in louvered vent covers (so there's air flow, but the louvers would keep most wind/rain out). Really depends on your wind direction relative to coop and overall climate. Ideally you want most ventilation up higher, above their heads, but in this case there's no "higher" part of the wall to use.

Can you tell us your climate, like how cold do winters get, how hot do summers get?

And x2 on the rest. Maybe they'll all get along in close quarters, or maybe they'll turn on each other and you'll be dealing with repeated injuries and angry birds. Hard to say. Also with the second coop you have, my guess is it holds maybe 3 birds at most (manufacturers often use numbers that are legal, but just barely, like 1 sq ft per bird) but the other issue would be trying to convince birds to use it, as most of the birds are going to stuff themselves into one unit or the other instead of splitting into 2 groups.

Personally I'd give strong consideration to selling off a few of the birds.

 

[aart]

I was given a coop that is 2 1/2 feet wide and 16 1/2 feet long and about 3 feet height.

What an odd structure!
My first thought was, there's gonna be poop in those nests.
The narrowness will make it hard to layout.
I'd put the nests at one end, 2 over 2.

What is the roof made of, looks like a tarp tacked on there?
Is it sloped for run off?
Are there eave openings under the edges?

Oh, and.... Welcome to BYC! @jennaron24
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!