How many hens are good in here?

[partiallycredible1414]

Hi all, I'm new to this forum. I'm thinking about getting a few chickens this year, and this is the coop which I think might be suitable. It's the "Producer's Pride Villa" from TSC.

I know it looks like the typical little prefab coop, which I know would be unsuitable for chickens. However, it's a lot bigger than you think. The run is roughly 36 sqft, and the hen house is 20 sqft. I've seen one in person, it seemed fairly durable, with perhaps some slight modification for predator-proofing. From what I'm reading online, the coop should have space for 3 standard chickens (4sqft in coop, 10 in run), but this doesn't seem like enough room to me. I imagine they'd get pretty crowded, and I don't think that they could get away from any bullying/accidental rooster in that space. I have a lot of predators (mink, bears, raccoons, eagles, hawks, etc) in my area, so I don't think that free ranging or a fenced in open-top pen would be safe for them.

So what does everyone think? Would this be enough space for 3 hens? And if not, would it be possible to extend the run somehow? All the prefab runs I can find are all either too expensive or not secure enough. I don't think I can build one, I'm not up to that.

Thank you!

 

[nuthatched]

2, max. I've also seen them. They included the next boxes in their measurements. They fall apart well in two years and I've personally seen the aftermath of coons pushing their esy in through the next box floor.

 

[partiallycredible1414]

Yikes. That doesn't sound good. What about bantams, like silkies or Cochins? I don't want to buy just two chickens, in case one passes away and I'm left with a single lonely bored hen. Thanks!

 

[DobieLover]

Hi all, I'm new to this forum. I'm thinking about getting a few chickens this year, and this is the coop which I think might be suitable. It's the "Producer's Pride Villa" from TSC.

View attachment 3763558

I know it looks like the typical little prefab coop, which I know would be unsuitable for chickens. However, it's a lot bigger than you think. The run is roughly 36 sqft, and the hen house is 20 sqft. I've seen one in person, it seemed fairly durable, with perhaps some slight modification for predator-proofing. From what I'm reading online, the coop should have space for 3 standard chickens (4sqft in coop, 10 in run), but this doesn't seem like enough room to me. I imagine they'd get pretty crowded, and I don't think that they could get away from any bullying/accidental rooster in that space. I have a lot of predators (mink, bears, raccoons, eagles, hawks, etc) in my area, so I don't think that free ranging or a fenced in open-top pen would be safe for them.

So what does everyone think? Would this be enough space for 3 hens? And if not, would it be possible to extend the run somehow? All the prefab runs I can find are all either too expensive or not secure enough. I don't think I can build one, I'm not up to that.

Thank you!

Not sure where you read that 3 standard size birds could be housed in 4 sq ft but the standard "rule of thumb" is that they have 4 sq ft PER BIRD.
Going with the bare minimum of square footage in the run is not a good idea.

That thing is tiny. It's appalling that the literature states it can hold 12 chickens.

The wood that is used to construct them is about the worst quality I've ever seen and as stated above, it will not last more than a year in the vast majority of climates.

For $700 you'd be so much better off buying a used shed and converting it into a coop.

 

[nuthatched]

Also, bear in mind that prefab coop companies use the same space standards as egg farms, 1 sq foot per bird. You know those videos of factory farms that show rows and rows of hens squished in cages? Those are those measurements.

 

[partiallycredible1414]

Not sure where you read that 3 standard size birds could be housed in 4 sq ft but the standard "rule of thumb" is that they have 4 sq ft PER BIRD.
Going with the bare minimum of square footage in the run is not a good idea.

That thing is tiny. It's appalling that the literature states it can hold 12 chickens.

The wood that is used to construct them is about the worst quality I've ever seen and as stated above, it will not last more than a year in the vast majority of climates.

For $700 you'd be so much better off buying a used shed and converting it into a coop.

I was saying that that was the total space per bird. The henhouse is ~20 sqft, run is ~36 sqft. Here's a slightly better pic I found, the run is about 9'x4'. The wood seemed better to me than the wood used in other prefab coops, I think it's fairly durable. I looked at a few at my local TSC last year, this seemed like the best option of them. Thanks!

 

[Nym]

From my recent experience

Not sure where you read that 3 standard size birds could be housed in 4 sq ft but the standard "rule of thumb" is that they have 4 sq ft PER BIRD.
Going with the bare minimum of square footage in the run is not a good idea.

That thing is tiny. It's appalling that the literature states it can hold 12 chickens.

The wood that is used to construct them is about the worst quality I've ever seen and as stated above, it will not last more than a year in the vast majority of climates.

For $700 you'd be so much better off buying a used shed and converting it into a coop.

The OP says: However, it's a lot bigger than you think. The run is roughly 36 sqft, and the hen house is 20 sqft. I've seen one in person, it seemed fairly durable, with perhaps some slight modification for predator-proofing.

 

[DobieLover]

From my recent experience

The OP says: However, it's a lot bigger than you think. The run is roughly 36 sqft, and the hen house is 20 sqft. I've seen one in person, it seemed fairly durable, with perhaps some slight modification for predator-proofing.

I went ahead and looked up the specs myself directly on the tractor supply website. The coop states it is 4.4 sq ft to be exact. NOT 20:

I stand by everything I wrote above.
It's a waste of money. The OP good do so much better by converting a used shed.

 

[Nym]

from my own recent chicken-keeping experience, the smaller the coop the harder the work. Prefab coops are either too small for permament housing or too heavy for regular moving (to fresh grass). We don't have bears, but I doubt that coop could survive a bear should the bear be intent on chicken for dinner?

 

[partiallycredible1414]

I went ahead and looked up the specs myself directly on the tractor supply website. The coop states it is 4.4 sq ft to be exact. NOT 20:
View attachment 3763588


I stand by everything I wrote above.
It's a waste of money. The OP good do so much better by converting a used shed.

I measured the base of the hen house when I looked at it in person. It's about 4' x 5', not sure where the given number is from.