Coop size

[Rick589]

Taking in NO other factors other than floor space I'd say a max of 30 birds.

Going with the 4 sq.ft. rule of thumb I see. We have a run chicken automatic door do you think I could reasonably assume relocating the door to the new coop would ease the transition. Given that they at least know the door.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Going with the 4 sq.ft. rule of thumb I see. We have a run chicken automatic door do you think I could reasonably assume relocating the door to the new coop would ease the transition. Given that they at least know the door.

4 sq ft is just the easiest general rule to go by. Some birds are fine with less. Some flocks need more than that. So averaging it out is a convenient way to get a rough calculation for numbers.

Not sure on the door... never tested that! It's more the location that they memorize. When I transferred my hens from an old coop to a new one (within the same run), I locked them in the new coop for 2 or 3 days, and when they came out the old coop had been removed. 2 of 3 hens still went to the location of the old coop and sat down on the ground at dusk, right there in the middle of the run, as if the coop would somehow materialize around them.

 

[Rick589]

4 sq ft is just the easiest general rule to go by. Some birds are fine with less. Some flocks need more than that. So averaging it out is a convenient way to get a rough calculation for numbers.

Not sure on the door... never tested that! It's more the location that they memorize. When I transferred my hens from an old coop to a new one (within the same run), I locked them in the new coop for 2 or 3 days, and when they came out the old coop had been removed. 2 of 3 hens still went to the location of the old coop and sat down on the ground at dusk, right there in the middle of the run, as if the coop would somehow materialize around them.

Thank You. Our plan is to keep the old coop for any needed isolation down the road so it will stay put. The converted shed will have limited light which is one reason I hesitate on locking them in but we’ll see.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Thank You. Our plan is to keep the old coop for any needed isolation down the road so it will stay put. The converted shed will have limited light which is one reason I hesitate on locking them in but we’ll see.

Maybe initially, put a low-watt battery-powered light in the new coop. This would be a signal to them at dusk and also allow them to get familiar with roost locations, etc.