How do you count the indoor area of the coop?

[Maria G]

Hi,

I just finished my new coop. My husband kind of took over, and the end result is a bit smaller than I wanted - a bit over 3 square meters (32,5 square feet). According to the formula I should have 9 chickens in there (3 per square meter), but ideally I would like to hav 10-15 chicks.

But... i was thinking: I am going to put in a table for the sand bath and oyster shells, which then adds 0,5 m2 since the chickens can walk under it too. I will also put the nesting boxes on the outside, with internal access, which theoretically also adds 0,5 m2 of extra room for the chicks. I can also add more deep shelves since the ceiling is pretty tall.

I have a large completely secured run which they can access any time, but in the cold winter they might not want to go outside, so I need to make sure the coop is good enough for them.

Is my thinking completely off? I definitely don't want my chicks to be crowded or stressed!

 

[Monkeybean415]

Interested to hear answers. Our coop is about the same size which is perfect for our current nine but we have 10 littles than need to move in soon so we're working on expanding now. Good luck! I would think if they're only on there to sleep than as long as there's enough roost space it would be ok. Our girls free range during the day and have an enclosed run as well if they want to stay out of snow (only weather that bothers them)

 

[Egghead_Jr]

The only time my birds stayed in the coop until later in the morning was when temps were below -10F (-23C). Those few mornings I tossed some sunflower seeds in the coop to hold them over until they decided it was warm enough. If the birds have access outside they will be out 365 days a year and may stay in the coop until 10 am three mornings in my area.

If you don't close the birds up then those large coop formulas don't apply to you. They need enough roost space and that's it if the door is opened first thing every morning. If your someone that sleeps in then you'd want to provide space for them to walk around in the coop and keep food and water in there. If your a morning person then keep everything outside.

The biggest problem with small coops is when introducing new birds. Flock integration works much smoother with larger coops.

 

[Monkeybean415]

The only time my birds stayed in the coop until later in the morning was when temps were below -10F (-23C). Those few mornings I tossed some sunflower seeds in the coop to hold them over until they decided it was warm enough. If the birds have access outside they will be out 365 days a year and may stay in the coop until 10 am three mornings in my area.

If you don't close the birds up then those large coop formulas don't apply to you. They need enough roost space and that's it if the door is opened first thing every morning. If your someone that sleeps in then you'd want to provide space for them to walk around in the coop and keep food and water in there. If your a morning person then keep everything outside.

The biggest problem with small coops is when introducing new birds. Flock integration works much smoother with larger coops.

Thank you! That makes perfect sense! We only close them up at night so maybe we'll hold off on expanding. We just need to put in more roost space. We have five 3 month old pullers that need to go out and four 1 month old chicks with a broody all in the garage right now.

 

[Maria G]

That's great news - thanks for sharing!

My plan was to leave the trapdoor open all the time (can't afford a motorised door) and let them come and go as they please. I'll keep the water and pellet feed indoors due to the snow/rain, but throw all the scraps in the run. I'll also add some rocks, branches and stuff in the run for them to explore.

I plan to keep 8-10 Hedemora hens, 1-2 roosters, and I like to hatch and sell Hedemora chicks, so I need to have some extra space in case they don't get sold right away + I don't think I can live without a 3 silkies just for fun. And maybe 3 Faverolles. I'll build up my Hedemora flock first and then add some silkies and Faverolles if I feel there is enough space.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

You'll want a very well protected run if your not closing up the coop at night. I work the opposite way and have moderate run protection but 100% coop protection. A weasel can fit in small places and will wipe out a small flock in one night.

Shoveling snow isn't fun and the birds don't do snow. Think about a slanted roof for the run to make life easier. I wrap two sides of run with tarp for wind barrier in winter too.

Coop space is counted by the square foot or meter space not occupied by nests or food containers. If you have external mounted nest boxes and keep feed outside than the dimensions of coop are actual floor space for chickens. If these things are on the floor of coop then deduct them for actual square meter/feet the chickens can use.

 

[aart]

If you live in a snowy climate and don't have protected(solid roof), predator proof run......do not count the run space.

My birds spent many a 'several days on end' in the coop during winter because of extreme cold, snowfall and wind.
I have almost double the 4sqft in coop rule(this includes the roost boards) and things get a little tight in there after a couple days confinement.