Do I have enough space? What are yalls thoughts?

[usnavyvet]

I have roughly 45-48 square feet of floor space in my coop and about 90- 100 square feet of run space right now. i plan on adding about another 80 square feet of run space this coming spring. right now i have 5 hens but was thinking about getting 3 or 4 more hens to add with them. so after i add on to the run they would have roughly 170 square feet of run space, that means almost 20 square feet of run space per hen. I will only have about 4 square feet per bird in the coop though, would that be to little space? I am thinking it would be ok but im just wanting to get the feel of what other my see that works or doesnt work. all the hens are medium to large. this was my first year with tham and we are getting though our first winter. things seem to be going well so far. Any helpful words of wisdom would be great

thanks in advance

 

[Aunt Angus]

I will always advocate for more space. Honestly, I have 9 chickens (6 standard hens, 2 bantam hens, 1 bantam roo) in a 64 sq ft coop with a 200 sq ft run, and a 500 sq ft chicken yard... and it still feels crowded when they're all milling about.

What's your climate like? If you have extreme winters, the coop won't be big enough, in all likelihood. But you can always try it and make adjustments.

Oh - but you'll need a plan to integrate the newbies. They'll need to be separated in a "look, don't touch" scenario for a while. Keep that in mind, too, because that will make space tight, too.

I am not trying to be a downer. I just know from experience! Lol! Chicken math is REAL.

 

[Rosdez31]

Chickens don't tend spend alot of time indoors and when they do they are usually sleeping so I think youll be fine, if you aren't in an extreme climate. If it seems crowded you can always do nesting boxes outside. Be sure the coop has good ventilation though.

 

[usnavyvet]

i ahve my nesting boxes on the outside of the coop already, also are winters arnt bad. to this point their water has frozen once. it may drop into the 20's some nights but its not usualy below freezing for more than a couple days at time and it may only drop into the teens a couple times each winter. i would say our winters are very mild most of the time. i do have alot of ventilation but plan on adding another large window this spring for the summer time. i dont have a plan for the new girls yet. I will have to think that through. if yall have some advice on how to integrate the new girls that would be great too.

 

[usnavyvet]

Also, i can take some picture tomorrow and post them.

 

[Rosdez31]

i ahve my nesting boxes on the outside of the coop already, also are winters arnt bad. to this point their water has frozen once. it may drop into the 20's some nights but its not usualy below freezing for more than a couple days at time and it may only drop into the teens a couple times each winter. i would say our winters are very mild most of the time. i do have alot of ventilation but plan on adding another large window this spring for th e summer time. i dont have a plan for the new girls yet. I will have to think that through. if yall have some advice on how to integrate the new girls that would be great too.

I have had good luck with the sneaking in at night with new chickens and treat method. But if have the ability separate coops for a bit then let everyone free range to get to know each other for a few days, the newbies often just start going to bed with the flock

 

[Aunt Angus]

Then I say try it and adjust as needed! Let us know what you end up doing.

If you post pics, folks will be able to make suggestions. One thing that helped me was to create elevated areas (with ramps) the chickens could climb up on. Made it feel bigger. In my old place, I had a second coop in the run that was used as an isolation pen. It was elevated, so the ground area was unaffected. Just some ideas.

But mildish winters helps a lot.

 

[usnavyvet]

here are some pictures. there is ventilation at the top on both sides of the roof in the front and back. you can't see it in the picture but it is there. and I have that window that you can see.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Looks good! Pretty birds, too!!!

Being the advocate for space that I am, could you add a bit to the run? Extend it lengthwise, maybe? Or even add width?

Another question: Are you using hardware cloth at all? I see chicken wire. That'll keep your chickens in, but that won't keep anything out.

ETA: My phone is acting up, but do you have 2 roosts? It looks like there's one way up toward the ceiling and another lower. How much roost space is it? And how high up is that upper roost? I'm wondering if they have room to come down. I made the mistake of putting my roosts too high, and my big girls (a Cochin and a Brahma) dealt with foot problems.

And have you considered adding bantams? They require less space. You can buy them sexed from places like My Pet Chicken.

Last thing, I promise: How much square footage of ventilation do you have? Rule of thumb is 1-2 sq ft per chicken, if you can believe that.

 

[Cryss]

Well done! I love it! Average minimum coop space recommendations are 4sqft/bird. A coop with 44 sqft would be good for 11 birds, 48 sqft for 12 so in either case I think you’re good for 12 for the coop. Average minimum run space recommendations are 10sqft/bird. The run is good for 10 birds so your idea of 8 or 9 birds is perfect although like @Aunt Angus I advocate for as much run space as you can afford to provide. If you add on at least 20 sqft of run (about a 2x10 addition) it will meet that minimum recommendation for up to 12! But basically you’re in excellent shape! Your roost is higher than nests, perfect! I can’t tell how far the roost is from the wall. One foot is recommended to prevent excessive soiling of the wall. I think I see a second roost way up high? If that isn’t meant to be a roost they will attempt to roost there anyway. Jumping down might be too high and injure their legs, I can’t tell how high it is, and with it that high and facing a too close wall they will be jumping down and banging into that wall on the way down. I find having everyone on the same level discourages excessive pecking order activities. Maybe lower that roost to the same level as the one over the pop door.
While it is true chickens usually only use coop for egg laying and sleep there are times you may find it necessary to lock them inside for a day, a week, or longer in various situations. Tornado? Fox hanging around property? Family illness preventing prompt attention to chickens? So having that minimum recommendation indoor space can be a blessing.
EXCELLENT WORK! Kudos!!