How many chickens? MATH TIME

[21hens-incharge]

Food and water is kept in the run. It is a covered run. The 5×5 coop house has roost bars and a window with adjustable ventilation. The only time chickens go in there is to hop on the roost and sleep at night.

Where are you located? Things can drastically change when its very windy, snowy, cold, soggy from heavy rains etc.

 

[Mrs. K]

You can cheat in the summer. The summers are long days and short nights. When you add chicks, or young pullets, they are smaller and it may work for a while... but what will happen, all of a sudden it won't work, as the young birds get full size they take up more space.

People tend to think they can cheat with free ranging, but not in winter. In winter my birds are roosting up by 4:00, and staying that way until often past 7:00 the next day. The darkness artificially confines them, and if the space is too small, horrible behavior can result.

So you probably can cheat this summer, but going down into fall, ALL of US need to look at the coop space, MEASURE and do the math. Going into fall, one cannot cheat, and the numbers need to fit the coop space as that is where they will be. Wishing they would all be nice will not work, and very often birds that were getting along, will stop getting along.

Mrs K

 

[belindaschicks]

I live in wisconsin. I cannot add to the house part of the coop. It is a second story located in the run. Plus it was made by friends after I went through some surgeries. My coop is a hand carved timber frame with a 3/4 inch ply wood roof with a commercial metal roof. Not something you would get at you local home improvement store. One of my friends owns a roofing company and used a large scrap.

 

[Mrs. K]

Then you are pretty stuck with the numbers that you have.

 

[belindaschicks]

I do wrap the run in plastic so no snow enters the covered run.

 

[Cryss]

4sq ft /bird in house, 10sq ft /bird in run. That's the math equation.

 

[Mrs. K]

Where do they sleep? Overcrowding while roosting causes problems. I see you state that they only are using one roost, and that is because they are friends. And the empty roost gives them space. If you filled that roost with birds, the space is gone, and often times trouble will start.

Do you have full size birds? If you have bantam, then you could get maybe get away with it.

Years ago, I got bit by chicken math, and put in new birds, and for a while it worked... I got hit by a predator, which made me sick, but I noticed something, even though a predator had just been in, my birds were mORE relaxed, the flock was much more peaceful, and they started laying better.

You can try it, but consider, do you want happy healthy friendly chickens laying eggs, or do you want ragged, feather picked, scuffling chickens, cranky and pecking at each other.

Mrs K

 

[belindaschicks]

They only use the one roost. I have 3 chickens on the smaller side #4-5 and 2 normal size chickens. I was not planning on getting large chickens. The plan is for 3 small 4# chickens. I just want to make sure I am not going to cause a problem either. I pride myself in keeping happy healthy chickens.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I live in wisconsin. I cannot add to the house part of the coop. It is a second story located in the run. Plus it was made by friends after I went through some surgeries. My coop is a hand carved timber frame with a 3/4 inch ply wood roof with a commercial metal roof. Not something you would get at you local home improvement store. One of my friends owns a roofing company and used a large scrap.

you need to contact them say I want more birds but need to double the run for it

 

[Teila]

Howdy belindaschicks sorry, I agree that your current available space is at it's limit. However, I just wanted to share with you a great article which may be of assistance:
How Much Room Do Chickens Need