Evening Coop Drama with 11 hens

[Nyhillbillies]

So the entire space says it will hold 20 chickens - I was not making it up.

These specs say “chicks”.

 

[AnnPann]

These specs say “chicks”.

The # of occupants specification is confusing and ambiguous at best. I had a hard time deciphering exactly how many they were claiming would fit in each coop from the website description. Red flag. But appears she has storage room to concede to the hens, so hopefully not a major operation.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Technically you have enough linear roost space for the 11. However I wonder if some of the roosts are too close to one another, which can cause conflict as birds can reach across or down and peck at neighbors. Are all the roosts 14-16"+ away from any other roost?

Others have already addressed the floor space issue. Even if you don't go by the so called magic numbers that folks love to quote, the fact is, the manufacturer's claim of a 5'x3' coop holding 20 birds would not meet the minimum legal requirement in some areas which is generally set at 1 sq ft of housing per bird.

 

[countryladyNH]

This sounds like one of those word puzzles

LOL, yeah, like those horrible math problems they used to make us do in school---"If susie has 9 apples and gets on the bus with them..."

 

[Chick Palace]

Adventure Chicken will not roost with Lottie. Macaroon will only roost with Lottie, but never next to Dunkin'. Fifi will only roost next to Mystery Chicken or Wiccan but never next to the 2 Cinnamon Queens. Xena will roost next to the Cinnamon Queens but not Adventure Chicken. Chicken Helper doesn't want to roost next to anyone. Period.

All of this means that I am going into the coop every, single, night and rearranging chickens. Some are on the floor because of the pecking and otherwise high drama behavior. Once I put them next to their preferred roosting mate, we have peace in the coop. How big is the coop you may ask, it's big enough for 20 chickens. It's 5 feet long by 3 feet wide. I have 3 sets of roosting bars. But I have a coop full of drama queens. Seriously, pick a roosting spot and settle in. Gee whiz.

I am wondering if I stop rearranging them if they will figure all this out my themselves? I am reluctant to allow the chickens to stay on the floor when there are perfectly good roosting bars to use (not to mention I don't want them pooped on). Anyone have any idea on how to stop the nightly coop drama? Or should I just ignore it? Thank you in advance - Anne and the Ocala Chickens

Well I, for one, enjoyed reading about your Chick Drama. I'm a new chicken mama too and there's a steep learning curve for sure. It's a good thing you posted and received some feedback. There's a lot to learn!

 

[Tonyroo]

generally set at 1 sq ft of housing per bird.

That sounds like a cage farm chicken setup. Just thinking out loud.

 

[Geena]

I'm sure that coop was not cheap

For sure, holy toledo! Cutest Coops - classic coop
I need to start a coop building business!

 

[bjdewell]

Adventure Chicken will not roost with Lottie. Macaroon will only roost with Lottie, but never next to Dunkin'. Fifi will only roost next to Mystery Chicken or Wiccan but never next to the 2 Cinnamon Queens. Xena will roost next to the Cinnamon Queens but not Adventure Chicken. Chicken Helper doesn't want to roost next to anyone. Period.

All of this means that I am going into the coop every, single, night and rearranging chickens. Some are on the floor because of the pecking and otherwise high drama behavior. Once I put them next to their preferred roosting mate, we have peace in the coop. How big is the coop you may ask, it's big enough for 20 chickens. It's 5 feet long by 3 feet wide. I have 3 sets of roosting bars. But I have a coop full of drama queens. Seriously, pick a roosting spot and settle in. Gee whiz.

I am wondering if I stop rearranging them if they will figure all this out my themselves? I am reluctant to allow the chickens to stay on the floor when there are perfectly good roosting bars to use (not to mention I don't want them pooped on). Anyone have any idea on how to stop the nightly coop drama? Or should I just ignore it? Thank you in advance - Anne and the Ocala Chickens

I'm a new chicken tender, too, but I only have four hens. I got their coop/run at Tractor Supply, which seems to have a bad reputation wherever I see their coops mentioned. But I love mine, it's perfect with an XPen around it as an outside run, which I cover with shade cloth in really high temps, and a tarp when it's raining. My pullets free range all day, so only use their coop to sleep and visit the egg boxes. I seldom shut the XPen door to keep them inside, unless it's a hard rain right before bedtime. Your's looks like a great place for your hens to sleep, I'm assuming they are outside or in some larger area during the day. I like the idea of maybe opening up that space through the door for a bit more night-time room? This is my set-up for my girls before I put the XPen around it. Good luck, you'll find the right solution - I've learned a lot from this website, made changes, stopped some things, and started others - lots of knowledge here, for sure!

 

[Aunt Angus]

For sure, holy toledo! Cutest Coops - classic coop
I need to start a coop building business!

Holy moly! For that price I could build a new coop AND a new goat house (literally - I priced it out a couple of weeks ago). I built my first coop (walk in, 4' x 8') out of scraps and stuff bought off CL for about $250. But I'm sure this cute coop is very sturdy and will last a long time. And it IS a super cute coop!!!



If it makes you feel any better, OP, I have 16 chickens in a 64sq ft coop with lots of roosting space and there is still drama at bed time. All my younger pullets try to squish together on about 4 ft of roost (even though there are about 20 ft of roosts in there). Several of my girls opt to sleep in their (secure) run with the ducks to avoid the squabbles. I just let them work it out because I know they are just being dramatic when there is plenty of space available.

I'd try rearranging the roosts or converting the storage space. What is just drama may turn to violence eventually.

 

[Geena]

and there is still drama at bed time

I think there's always some drama at roost time. They are like little kids fighting over who gets to ride shotgun.