Do I really have enough room in my coop??

[EggStatic46]

Hi fellow chicken lovers. I am a newb. My chicks have been with us now for 4 weeks from the hatchery.
I originally was ordering just 2 chicks and I ordered a nice cedar coop online that is supposed to be designed for 4 large breed or 6 bantams. So i figured having only 2 chicks this would be plenty room for them.
HOWEVER; I ended up with 4 chicks (long story...lol) I have 1 Easter Egger, 1 Golden Wyandotte and 2 Silver Wyandottes.
Even though the coop says its capable of housing 4 large breeds it seems to me it will pretty crowded. I plan on letting them free range but only a couple hours a day. I was planning on building out a larger run for them in the near future but not sure the coop will be big enough.

The coop itself is 25" x 25.5" not including the nesting box. Which has two nesting areas in it. I think that this coop MAY be large enough if two chicks sleep in the nesting boxes and 2 in the actual coop area. But they will be pretty big by the time I give them access to the nesting boxes (4 months old) so this has me worried.

I would love to hear some suggestions and opinions on this matter.

 

[Nupe]

Chickens are snuggly critters and more often than not they'll be huddled together in one spot. They should be fine. Do they have a roost?

Also, for when they don't get to free range, be sure to give them all your grass clippings.

 

[EggStatic46]

Thanks Nupe.
Yes, they have 2 roosting bars that came with the coop. I currently only have one in the coop as it is crowded with both bars and the food and water containers. Think I should move the containers to the run now that they are a month old and only let them feed and drink during the days?

 

[Nupe]

That I'm not sure. My last attempt at chickens, their coop was an old wood shed and I kept their food inside to keep it out of the rain. That attempt ended abruptly and tragically by a neighborhood dog. This time around I've built a new coop and am finishing up a fully enclosed run, much like yours but bigger. I'll need that question answered as well. Right now I have 18 babies in a brooder that are less than a week old. They eat, drink, poop, mosh pit and snooze in short intervals day and night. I'm not sure how long they will need food and water available 24/7 for a good boost in strength and development. My guess would be once the heat lamp is no longer needed and the nights are actually dark.

 

[EggStatic46]

Thanks again Nupe.
Wow you are going to have your hands full with all those chicks...lol
I was planning on incorporating this coop into a larger run for them...just not sure how yet. I don't think I have to worry too much about predators or neighbor dogs as we have a 4 1/2 foot fence around our yard....fingers crossed. I plan un supervising them when they free run anyway....we have an in ground pool that worries me with the chicks.
Hopefully someone will give us an answer on the water/food deal.
Thanks again!

 

[Nupe]

I expect them to earn their keep. They have a garden and an orchard to tend to and I have an affinity for cheesecake.

They're so cute at this age...

 

[Dschwartz]

I bet you will be fine on the size too. I have a larger coop and all of the girls end up cramming themselves together on one roost and ignore the other three. If you are worried about room in the coop for a feeder, you could do something like this that has been circulating on pinterest and facebook. I am going to put the feeder part on the inside and the tubes on the outside of my coop. Just drill a large enough hole to fit through. This will give me tubes for feed, oyster, and grit.

 

[sumi]

Here is a great article on coop space and what chickens need:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-much-room-do-chickens-need

 

[EggStatic46]

THEY ARE SOOOOO CUTE!!!

 

[EggStatic46]

Thanks D!
A friend of mine sent me this last week actually. I may be incorporating it in my run design as well.
Thanks again for the advise. Much appreciated!