Expanding flock, do i need to expand my coop and run?

[c4wilson]

I have 3 wonderful backyard chickens, that spend most of their time in a portable run that is 100" x 62.5" (~43 square feet). I try to move it twice a week. I also let them roam the yard when I can. They sleep in a coop on top of the run (connected inside) that is a little over 7 square feet plus the nest box.

I've read that you should aim for 2-3 sq feet per chicken and 10 sq feet per chicken in the run. Does this change much with a portable run, or if we regularly let them out. We would like to get 2 or 3 more chickens (probably pullets), but I'm curious what advice you all would give on if we need to expand the run. I've accepted that I probably need to rebuild or buy a new coop portion, but the total weight of the coop run combo is getting very heavy, I'm not sure I'd be able to move a larger run that easily.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Lamaremybabies]

If they're only using the top part for egg laying and sleeping I don't think having 5-6 chickens in there total would be the end of the world. Especially because you're in a warm climate where getting several feet of snow and ice isn't a concern. I know there are probably a lot of people who would disagree with me but as long as they get along fine and don't seem to be having any issues, I'd say you're fine. and hey, if you do it and decide you'd rather have more space then you can always go ahead and do that. If you're able to free range a few times a week or even for an hour or two a day that will also give more leeway.

 

[c4wilson]

This is exactly what I was hoping to hear - Thank you! The coop portion was part of a coop/run I purchased on ebay and the run part was way to small (I felt). So I built it on top of the new run. Unfortunately, (you get what you pay for) I had to add shingles and repairs and eventually the coop part will need to be replaced so I'm OK with tackling that. Its the run I'm afraid to increase.

I appreciate the quick and helpful feedback! Thank you!

 

[Lamaremybabies]

This is exactly what I was hoping to hear - Thank you! The coop portion was part of a coop/run I purchased on ebay and the run part was way to small (I felt). So I built it on top of the new run. Unfortunately, (you get what you pay for) I had to add shingles and repairs and eventually the coop part will need to be replaced so I'm OK with tackling that. Its the run I'm afraid to increase.

I appreciate the quick and helpful feedback! Thank you!

you're run is big enough. Especially since you can let them out from time to time. The coop part isn't ideal in size but I don't think it will be a big enough issue that you can't wait a little to expand it a little.

No problem! Glad to be of assistance.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Being realistic, be ready and able to add more space if any problems rear their head. Your setup is already tight for the number you have and integration takes space. More space you give them, fewer problems you'll see, and it's always easier to head off problems than try and fix them after the fact.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Since you move it regularly you probably don’t need quite as much room per chicken in a tractor as you do in a fixed run. The two main issues you are dealing with are behaviors and poop. The more chickens you have in a small space the more likely you are to have behavioral issues and the faster the poop builds up.

You can have behavioral issues whether you have 2 square feet per chicken or 20. A lot of that depends on the individual personality of your chickens. The more room they have the less likely you are to see them fighting and attacking each other. The more room you have the less likely any fighting is to be fatal or cause serious injury. There are a lot of different factors involved but generally the more room per chicken the less likely you are to see these problems. By moving them regularly you are constantly refreshing things so they don’t get as bored as quickly.

A tractor makes dealing with poop build-up pretty easy. You move the tractor. When I had a tractor I found that how wet it was had a lot to do with how often I needed to move it before it started to stink. The size of that run isn’t that bad for 5 to 6 chickens, but you may find you need to move it more often, especially when it rains, when you add chickens.

To keep weight down so it is easier to move you might build it in two sections. Keep the run you have (though you will probably have to modify it) and build a new section with a coop. Move the two separately and mate them together. The challenge is coming up with a way to mate them together yet keep chickens locked in when you are moving the two sections separately. I did that using guillotine doors and bolts with wing nuts. It requires some thought.

One potential huge issue since you want to add more chickens is integration. In general the tighter the space when you integrate the more likely you are to have serious problems. Your space will be tight. There are two basic parts of integration. One is that strangers sometimes will attack each other. They know who belongs to the flock and can be protective about that. Housing them side by side for a week or more before letting them merge can go a long way to help with this, though you don’t get guarantees. This is a sometimes thing, sometimes it just isn’t an issue. But it is an issue often enough yo need to plan for it.

The other totally separate issue is the pecking order. In chicken society they need to know whether they stand socially. Who outranks them and who do they outrank? That way they know who defers to whom and they can live together peacefully. Sometimes when strangers meet they seem to know this instinctively but often it involves pecking and running away. Occasionally it can get pretty violent, especially if the loser does not have much room to run away. A lot of this depends on the personality of your individual chickens but space is a huge factor.

A part of this is that mature chickens automatically outrank immature chickens and can be pretty serious about enforcing their pecking order rights, especially when the immature chickens invade their personal space. You keep reading about size on here but size has practically nothing to do with it. It’s not at all unusual for a bantam to outrank a much larger full-sized chicken. Maturity and the spirit of the individual chicken is the issue. I regularly have pretty young chicks without a broody hen to protect them roam with the flock. I have a lot of room, you don’t. My chicks tend to stay in a sub-flock and avoid the adults until they mature enough to force their way into the main flock. Sometimes there is a lot more intermingling than this implies but in general they stay separated, especially at night when they sleep. In your tight tractor they just don’t have a lot of room to avoid the mature hens. My pullets tend to mature enough to force their way into the mature flock about the time they start to lay.

If you add new pullets my suggestion is to actually add hens or pullets at least old enough to be laying. House them separately for a week or more but where they can see each other. Then let them free range together but give them the option to go back to separate sleeping areas for a week or so before you put them in the tractor together. Give them a chance to get to know each other where they have as much room as possible to run away if they need to. When you do merge them do it when you can observe.

You might want to read up on quarantine but I’m not going into that this morning.

These kinds of tractors are different than regular fixed coops and runs. You just will not have much space but you kind of compensate by moving them often. Another type of tractor is a more open area with just a coop surrounded by electric netting. You are exposed to birds of prey but you only need a coop section and you don’t have to move the netting or coop nearly as often. There are always different ways to do these things.

 

[c4wilson]

Thank you for the great replies!!! A lot to think about here.

Building a second run or coop portion actually may be a really convenient idea... and I could modify the current one to where they can eventually connect (with some thought as you mention). This may also give me something to keep them separate for the first few weeks. I was planning on just using a smaller temporary cage.

I had nixed getting chicks for the reasons you mention but had not considered getting already laying hens. Where could I get them? I was planning on pullets because I honestly thought those were the only two options (chicks or pullets)...

I'm totally on board with moving it more often, my yard looks better when I do.

The electric netting/fence I've seen a few ideas online about, and would really like to go that route, but have not seen enough designs to think of a way to make it work for me.

When you had a portable coop, did your run lay flush with the ground, or were the wheels always on? The weight may be less of an issue if I use always on wheels as opposed to my current design.

Again, thank you for all of your replies and help!

 

[Ridgerunner]

As you would expect there are different designs. I used removable wheels, wheels off of an old lawn mower. I raised the end of the part I was moving so I could slip the wheels on. A lever using a 2x6 and a cinder block.

How well wheels work depends on how soft your ground is and how wide your wheels are. A larger diameter wheel works better than a small one. I put the wheels on one end an raised the other end by hand. Each section was 4' x 8'.

 

[c4wilson]

My concern is more of if I get larger wheels, while it would make moving it easier, it could potentially increase the gap below the coop...

Thanks again for all the feedback, I'm looking forward to the redo.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That's why I used removable wheels. I've seen a design with wheels on a lever. You can move the wheels up when you set the tractor in position but move them down and lock them in place when you want to move it. It's been years since I saw that design so I'm not going to try to give you a link.

Think of a wheel rigidly mounted at the end of a 2x6 (that heavy so you have strength) maybe with a pivot point up a bit on the coop. You pick up on the other end of the 2x6 to force the wheel down and raise that end of the coop, then lock it for the move. When you get to where you are going unlock it. I'm sure there are several different designs out there somewhere that accomplish this.