First time with chickies--crtique my set up

[junebuggena]

I am so confused on space.

I have an 8x8 open air "run" this is 64 square feet--which is *technically* enough run for 5 birds (64- 2sqft for a bird =54 feet= 5 regular chickens) I want 2-4 so this is more than enough for 4. I now understand barred have extra needs.

I have a 2x4 enclosed rabbit hutch that is 8 square feet....I'm not taking that away from the sqft of run because the ducks went on top and I imagine the chickens would too.
I have a 30in by 3 foot duck loft that's part of the old duck house. It's a 2 story structure that's 30in by 5 feet....so it, again, doesn't contribute to loss of square foot of the run. That is 7.5 feet of enclosed space.

So I have 15.5 feet of enclosed space, which I could make to 19 feet if I enclosed the remainder of the "upstairs" 2 story duck pen. This should be enough for 3 chickens, I see how it would of been a squeeze for 4. So, 3 chickens it is.

I'll post a picture of it below.



I am still not seeing why you are so hard on my space. I need a bit more indoor space--but only a bit and that's only if I get 4 birds. 2 barred (30ft) and 2 RI's (20) would still have plenty of room in an 64ft run. I'll get 1 barred and 2 RI which would be 35 minimum needed. I have nearly twice that. I'm not trying to squeeze the most chickens into the smallest space. And again, they are going to be primarily free range. The run is predator proof unlike most runs.

In that pic, you don't count the whole structure. You only count the bit that is closed up and actually going to keep wind from blowing on chickens. It's maybe 2 by 3 at most. That's not two stories. It's a small, elevated coop. The open part is not counted as coop space. It's not shelter, it's covered run. Too small to keep well ventilated and keep the birds out of draft. And chickens are flock animals. They won't separate and go to their own coops at night. They will all cramp into one, even if it is much too small. You need to ditch the idea of using two coops that are too small.
When designing a coop, you need to take a few things into consideration. Height is an important factor. Nest boxes are not counted as coop space, so if you are going to have nest boxes in the coop, than you need to eliminate that sq footage from the equation. Then there is roost height in relation to nest boxes. Roosts should be at least a foot above nest boxes to discourage sleeping in the nest boxes. Then there is the height of the roosts in relation to ventilation. Roosts should be at least a foot below the roofline vents.
I'm pretty certain your current tiny prefabs are not going to do the job. It's not just that your current options are short on square footage, but that you don't really understand how to meet the shelter needs of chickens. And even if it's 'just at night', that's still 8 to 14 hours depending on the time of year. It's no small amount of time. Overcrowding stress is serious, and the behavioral issues that it can cause are very, very difficult to put a stop to.

 

[seashoreduck]

In that pic, you don't count the whole structure. You only count the bit that is closed up and actually going to keep wind from blowing on chickens. It's maybe 2 by 3 at most. That's not two stories. It's a small, elevated coop. The open part is not counted as coop space. It's not shelter, it's covered run. Too small to keep well ventilated and keep the birds out of draft. And chickens are flock animals. They won't separate and go to their own coops at night. They will all cramp into one, even if it is much too small. You need to ditch the idea of using two coops that are too small.
When designing a coop, you need to take a few things into consideration. Height is an important factor. Nest boxes are not counted as coop space, so if you are going to have nest boxes in the coop, than you need to eliminate that sq footage from the equation. Then there is roost height in relation to nest boxes. Roosts should be at least a foot above nest boxes to discourage sleeping in the nest boxes. Then there is the height of the roosts in relation to ventilation. Roosts should be at least a foot below the roofline vents.
I'm pretty certain your current tiny prefabs are not going to do the job. It's not just that your current options are short on square footage, but that you don't really understand how to meet the shelter needs of chickens. And even if it's 'just at night', that's still 8 to 14 hours depending on the time of year. It's no small amount of time. Overcrowding stress is serious, and the behavioral issues that it can cause are very, very difficult to put a stop to.

Ahh ok. The ducks liked having their own little houses. I was only counting the 30x36 inch top portion. That was the 7.5 feet. The old rabbit hutch was a favorite of the ducks and gave me 8 sqft but I can nix that. I can enclose the entire wood structure, which will give me two 30x60 spaces, or about 24 feet of coop. Can they nest in the rabbit hutch or should it be in their coop?

 

[junebuggena]

If you use the basic framing of the small coop to build your coop, it will be just big enough for 3. Loose the pull out tray floor and ditch the ramp, cover the hardware cloth with plywood, install some 2x4s wide side up for roosts, and leave a few inches open at the peak of the roof (covered with hardware cloth) for ventilation. You can use the hutch for egg laying.

 

[seashoreduck]

If you use the basic framing of the small coop to build your coop, it will be just big enough for 3. Loose the pull out tray floor and ditch the ramp, cover the hardware cloth with plywood, install some 2x4s wide side up for roosts, and leave a few inches open at the peak of the roof (covered with hardware cloth) for ventilation. You can use the hutch for egg laying.

Ok, that's do-able. The framing is all pressure treated lumber, so it's got good bones.

Also, any particular reason the vent needs to be covered in hardware cloth if this is in the 8x8 run that's also hardware cloth?