Enclosed area

[LadyAchee]

I agree.

 

[Samanthaalvin1]

They have 13 feet of roosting space, 3 nesting boxes, 35 sq ft enclosed and a fenced area that is around 180 sq feet.. for 8 chickens that is over the recommendations right? They have not had any bullying or fighting issues up to this point.. We live in East Tennessee and have very mild winters normally. They seem happy and I have several laying eggs now as they range in age from 4 months to 11 months. Just hoping I’m doing the right things for them....

 

[Mrs. K]

Just play it by ear, you are tight on space in the coop. As long as they get along, they will be fine. They will let you know if this is not working. As the 4 months grow for the next two months, might be the difference, might not. Weather, age and season can also make a difference.

I know you have really tried and worked hard. There is a good chance that it will work, but if pecking becomes an issue or there becomes a bird that is a victim, that is a sign things are not enough space and you will need to remove a bird or two from the flock. Or build a bigger coop, or maybe one will show up on craigslist.

Sometimes people think that if they are raised together, or if they have free range time that is enough to make up for a too tight coop. And a lot of times it is not.

Mrs K

 

[Samanthaalvin1]

Just play it by ear, you are tight on space in the coop. As long as they get along, they will be fine. They will let you know if this is not working. As the 4 months grow for the next two months, might be the difference, might not. Weather, age and season can also make a difference.

I know you have really tried and worked hard. There is a good chance that it will work, but if pecking becomes an issue or there becomes a bird that is a victim, that is a sign things are not enough space and you will need to remove a bird or two from the flock. Or build a bigger coop, or maybe one will show up on craigslist.

Sometimes people think that if they are raised together, or if they have free range time that is enough to make up for a too tight coop. And a lot of times it is not.

Mrs K

Thank you!

 

[aart]

Here is some updated pictures

So those roosts are 6.5 feet long?
Are they 2x3"...or....?
How far from the wall is the first roost, and how far apart between the 2 roosts?

 

[Samanthaalvin1]

So those roosts are 6.5 feet long?
Are they 2x3"...or....?
How far from the wall is the first roost, and how far apart between the 2 roosts?

Each Roost is 78" long.. One roost was around 13-14 inches from the wall and I believe the other was 9-10 but I would have to measure to be sure... There is about 21 inches in between.. All the chickens had been roosting well at night but we did consider moving them a bit to even out the space. Yes, we did use 2x3 for the roost.