I understand your question. Since your birds are hens (which means they are over a year old) there is a chance they are accustomed to staying outdoors till bedtime and know to go inside ...maybe. If they are still pullets (young females) and possibly even as hens, you may need to put them in at night. And, yes, often the solution to them not eventually learning to go in at night is to lick them inside for a few days so they recognize this as their safe place.
All this being said...no. Don't use this coop. You have bought the biggest lie promoted by prefab coop manufacturers. I am WELL experienced in this lie. I bought that coops brother!
The coop is built to house up to 8, and based on square footage requirements I’ve seen on here that number seems to be accurate. I think 6 would be the max though, personally.
I doubt anyone here would tell you that dimension requirements are 1X3 for 5 birds. That's basically what you have. Nest area is never to be counted in living area dimensions, only indoor walking area. Manufacturers of these coops quote dimensions that include the nest AND the run. Wrong wrong wrong!! Inside needs 4sqft per bird Minimally. The run needs 10sqft per bird Minimally. So you need roughly a 4X5 coop not including nests, and a 5X10 run. This is minimum dimensions. Bigger is better.
You have 5 hens. The coop size should be 15 sq feet minimum, not including nest boxes. The run should be 50 sq ft, minimum. They are cramped. I would build on to that run and give them more space.
Yes yes yes. Cramped quarters lead to fighting, injuries, and often death.
Not sure what you saw here.... and what the dimensions are of that coop....
...but that setup is cramped for those birds.
You are not the only one to be mislead by manufacturers population estimates(lies).
Sorry, for all the bad news, just trying to be honest.....but Welcome to BYC
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Yup,
@aart is right cuz they know I'm one of those people that bought the lie. I am so absolutely grateful for aart and so many others here giving me straightforward and frank advice. My birds would be dead without this site.
Now the good news. If I can get this right after making the worst mistake of my chickens life so can you. I'm a 68 year old woman who never raised anything but kids, dogs, and cats. I started this chicken adventure a year and a half ago. I love it! Once you get it right you're going to love it too!
Quick permanent fix...get a prefab shed and turn it into a coop. Add a 10X10X6 dog run and cover it in hardware cloth with a hardware cloth apron. Keep your prefab coop for emergencies like sick or injured birds that need separate care. Mine is inside the dog run. Get it up off the ground or that flimsy wood will rot before a year is up.
Quick TEMPORARY fix...plywood your entire coop unit, run and all, to turn it all into the indoor area leaving the pop door to the ramp open and using the "human" door as their new door to their run. Surround it with 10x10x6 dog run same as mentioned before. This can buy you some time while you prepare a properly sized coop. That's what I did.
Oh, and don't forget chicken math. Make the coop bigger than you think you need. You're going to want more chickens. No joke. It's addictive.
