First time Hen owner

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Bits and Bobs

In the Brooder
Dec 17, 2017
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I just purchased my chickens. 2 laying hens and 2 pullets. 2 Rhode Island Reds and 2 Wyandots. My coop can hol 8-10 hens but it seems crowded with 4. I would like to add a larger pen for them to get out in the day. Any suggestions? Build or buy? What do you suggest for top. I found out today that my Wyandots can fly.
 
G’Day from down under Bits and Bobs :frow Welcome!

Rule of thumb with the premanufactured 'kit' coops is to halve what the retailer advises they can hold. So if they say 8-10 chickens, you are looking at 4-5 and as you have found, even 4 might be pushing it.

I battled with 1 x kit coop for a while and then joined 2 together with extensions etc and then just gave up and built a big one.

Each large chicken requires 4 square foot of coop space, 10 square foot of run space and 2 foot of roost space.

You might find this forum of assistance: Coop & Run Forum

You might also be interested in downloading this free e-book My First Year With Chickens

I do hope you enjoy being a BYC member. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun.

Personally, I have found the Topic of the Week articles a great resource and a one stop shop for questions which may have already been discussed within the BYC membership group.

If you would like to share pictures and stories of your flock, you have come to the right place. BYC’ers never tire of these and do not back away slowly or commence eye rolling when the photo album or home videos come out ;)

Best wishes for a bright and cheerful Christmas and a Happy New Year!
 
What Teila said is so true. I got my first group of chicks last year but spent 4 months researching and ended up building my coop. I even called multiple manufacturers to ask about the spec and how it didn't seem appropriate for what they were suggesting. Also after looking at some of the premade coops.... I couldn't figure out how to clean their poop in such a small space.

My suggestion is to build. I covered a portion of my area with plywood for shade purposes and then parts of the are where they free range we put bird netting... but it was mostly to deter hawks and falcons.
 
Hello and welcome to BYC!! It’s so nice to have you join us. welcome.gif

In addition to what has been posted above, if you wish to create a larger outdoor run, you'll want to make certain that the run is secure to keep your chickens in...and predators out. Whether you live in an urban or rural setting, predators are everywhere. There are many successful choices one can make with creating an outdoor run. It can mean a heavier gauge wire enclosure with a predator skirt, or hardware cloth if smaller predators are a risk...to electric fencing. Or a combination of different ideas.
The possibilities are endless.

This video may help with learning how to navigate this site:


If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask one of us. :)
 

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