Coop too small?

[Auntiearielschickens]

Hello everyone! My chickens are six months old and I'm a new chicken mama. I've recently had a round of sickness go through my coop. It seemed to be respiratory, and I've also had a few hurt hens. Combs bleeding, feather picking(maybe molting) and a broken toenail. The last two weeks have been stressful trying to make sure they are taken care of and I feel like something isn't right. The coop I have is a movable tractor/run. The coop is 5x6 and the run is 8x10. The coop plans came from a chicken farmer and I was told would hold 15+ chickens and I only have 14 chickens. Ever since they got out in the coop I've wished they had more space and I'm wondering if some of these issues are space related. I reached out to the farmer and she said she's never really had an issue. But I live in Minnesota so I'm nervous going into winter that if it's space issues it could get worse. Is my coop to small and that might be an underlying cause? I just want my girls to be happy and healthy!!! Help!!!!

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

That is way way way too small. You want to aim for 4sf per bird in the coop and 10sf per bird fr the run. Your coop and run have twice the amount of chickens that it should fit comfortably. Is there a way you can expand their living quarters or reduce the flock size before the winter?

 

[Auntiearielschickens]

I was discussing with my husband who is amazing and made my coop and we could enclose the whole thing so that the coop is 8x10 and then make a run for them. I love that the tractor give them fresh grass but it's definitely not worth it if it's too small. I was leaning this route I just wanted to make sure I wasn't being crazy since that's not what I was told.

 

[Tookie]

Yes, the space is the problem. You can really only fit 8 chickens in there.
Each chicken needs a minimum of 4sq ft of coop space, 10sq ft of run space, 1 linear ft of roost, and 1sq ft of permanent ventilation.
So you would need a minimum of 56sq ft of coop space, 140sq ft of run space, 14 linear feet of roost, and 14sq ft of ventilation.
Also 1 nesting box per 3-4 hens, you would need about 4 nesting boxes.

 

[Auntiearielschickens]

Yes, the space is the problem. You can really only fit 8 chickens in there.
Each chicken needs a minimum of 4sq ft of coop space, 10sq ft of run space, 1 linear ft of roost, and 1sq ft of permanent ventilation.
So you would need a minimum of 56sq ft of coop space, 140sq ft of run space, 14 linear feet of roost, and 14sq ft of ventilation.
Also 1 nesting box per 3-4 hens, you would need about 4 nesting boxes.

Okay wow thank you! Definitely will adjust. I have enough nesting boxes but I'll get them more space before winter. Ugh frustrating.

 

[Auntiearielschickens]

Would being too crowded cause sickness too?

 

[Tookie]

Would being too crowded cause sickness too?

Yes, it can.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you? Climate matters, especially when it comes to housing.

As others have noted, that coop is WAY too small. Unfortunately, coop makers often claim numbers based on legal minimums for commercial chickens.

And yes, being overcrowded can cause social problems, sanitation problems, and health problems.

Here are the Usual Guidelines.

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

14 hens would need:

• 56 square feet in the coop -- at least 8x7 but 8x8 would be easier to build,
• 560 feet in the run,
• 14 linear feet of roost,
• 4 nest boxes,
• And 14 square feet of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation.

I was discussing with my husband who is amazing and made my coop and we could enclose the whole thing so that the coop is 8x10 and then make a run for them.

This is an excellent idea.

 

[Auntiearielschickens]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you? Climate matters, especially when it comes to housing.

As others have noted, that coop is WAY too small. Unfortunately, coop makers often claim numbers based on legal minimums for commercial chickens.

And yes, being overcrowded can cause social problems, sanitation problems, and health problems.

Here are the Usual Guidelines.

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

14 hens would need:

• 56 square feet in the coop -- at least 8x7 but 8x8 would be easier to build,
• 560 feet in the run,
• 14 linear feet of roost,
• 4 nest boxes,
• And 14 square feet of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation.

This is an excellent idea.

Yes, we are in Minnesota... So it gets cold and I'm assuming the girls won't want to be outside as much so I was getting more and more nervous about the coop being small if the spend all their time there. But then I was like... With and 8-10 be too big since their body heat keeps them warm?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yes behavioral issues and health issues can arise with crowding, so glad you're trying to address it now before winter hits, where crowding issues can worsen.

But then I was like... With and 8-10 be too big since their body heat keeps them warm?

They mostly rely on their feathers to keep them warm (they fluff them up and the space between the feathers holds in heat), not by using body heat to warm the space. Which is why even in winter you still want to have good ventilation. An 8x10 coop would be very appropriate for your flock, especially considering that depending on your run set up they may not be able to (or may not choose to) be out all day in the winter.