Dr. Danielle Marie

[N F C]

Inside coop is about 10 x 15 with a total of 8 nesting boxes my partner modeled this after Carolina Coops. The run is around 25 x 10 with the run going underneath the coop as well giving it an additional 10 foot maybe?

If the nesting boxes are inside the coop, you could remove half of them to make a bit of additional interior room.

Is re-homing some of your birds an option?

 

[Debbie292d]

If the nesting boxes are inside the coop, you could remove half of them to make a bit of additional interior room.

Is re-homing some of your birds an option?

I agree. You have 20 birds in a 10x15 = 7.5 square feet per bird which is fine if they really got all that room in there. You don't need quite so many nesting boxes if you can keep the broodies out of them. Maybe add a couple of perches that could utilize some of the wasted air space but not in your way too much? Could you post a couple of pictures as it's really hard to try to come up with ideas for them without seeing it.

 

[Boppo]

Glad to meet you and welcome to BYC. I am so sorry you are having a difficult start! Space is definitely a very important chicken frontier.

Here are my favorite beginning articles that helped me as a newbie. I hope you will find them helpful as well. All articles are short, have illustrations, and reviews, which are often worth looking at for the comments.

1. Intro to chicken keeping

2. Common mistakes & how to fix them

3. Ventilation (important to chicken health), with helpful links to coop designs organized by climate (because what is just right for my New England hens won't work for my brother's Arizona chickens)

3(a). Farmers Almanac on Building Coops (Includes size requirements!) Allowing plenty of space for chickens is really important because, even as chicks, they will start pecking each other or plucking their own feathers, or become unhealthy if they are overcrowded. Here is a link to Colorado State Extension's publication on space and temperature requirements for chicks as they age.

4. Predator protection for new & existing coops

5. Dealing with a muddy coop and run

6. Gardening for chickens

7. BYC Lists of Chicken Ailments and Cures

To look for articles on your own:

A. Use the SEARCH button, but use the Advanced Search choice, and select ARTICLES at the top of the box. Just enter your keyword(s) and scroll through your results!

B. I find it helpful to notice the rating and reviews. All articles are by BYC members, and all the reviews/ratings are as well. The ratings help a newbie like me sort the most useful and reliable articles.

C. You can bookmark the articles or posts you think you want to refer to again using that bookmark icon at the top of articles or posts. You can find them again by clicking on your own avatar and looking at the list of bookmarks you have built up!