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!

 

[NatJ]

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

There is at least one error in their measurements.

They say 4.4 square feet of coop
They say the run is 52.7 inches wide
The coop is the same width as the run (visible in all photos)
The only way to have a coop that is 52.7 inches wide and contains 4.4 square feet is if that coop is 1 foot long. Looking at the photos, the coop is roughly square.

So either their run width measurement is wrong, or their coop square footage measurement is wrong.

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.

I think Tractor Supply has the coop square feet listed wrong.

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.

It might be a waste of money, and OP might do better to do something else.

But I would trust OP's own measurements before I would trust the Tractor Supply measurements that are not even consistent with each other. If OP measured correctly, the coop DOES have enough space for 3 hens according to the most common rule-of-thumb guidelines.

 

[rosemarythyme]

The big issue is whether there's enough space for 3 hens, even with more accurate measurements. That would, following the guidelines I keep seeing of 4sqft in the coop and 10 in the run, be a sufficient bare minimum, but I want to make sure that they would have enough room to roam and be happy. Would it be good to put some branches/cinder blocks in the run so they have a more entertaining and interactive environment? Thanks!

Keep in mind those minimum guidelines are just that, minimum. Some birds will get along fine in that amount of space. Others will pick feathers and attack one another. So that makes it impossible to know for sure if this will or won't work for you.

As it sounds like you've already decided to get this regardless, it'd be a good idea to plan ahead for "just in case" - what will you do if things don't work out? Do you know anyone you can rehome birds to, are you willing to expand the run, etc.?

As far as enrichment I would avoid putting anything large in that run (anything that eats up floor space), you simply do not have room in there for it.

 

[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]

I decided that I won't be using this coop, and if I do, it'll only be with some sort of extension to the run. Might be a good summer project. Thanks for the help!

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[NatJ]

Would it be good to put some branches/cinder blocks in the run so they have a more entertaining and interactive environment?

Yes, that would probably help.

Chickens also enjoy having something to scratch in, preferably a variety of things. That is easy to manage by putting in wood chips if you have a good source, weeds and/or grass clippings in the summer, dry leaves in the fall, anything compostable from your kitchen all year long, and so forth. You want it to stay relatively dry so it doesn't get stinky.

The big issue is whether there's enough space for 3 hens, even with more accurate measurements. That would, following the guidelines I keep seeing of 4sqft in the coop and 10 in the run, be a sufficient bare minimum, but I want to make sure that they would have enough room to roam and be happy.

Yes, that is the big question. It will partly depend on the individual hens and how they act.

 

[Ted Brown]

Your comment re insulation:

1. Chickens do not need insulation in fact will peck away at it until it is broken and spread all over your coop.
2. They do need shelter from drafts and 1 sq ft of ventilation per bird to vent humidity and ammonia.

I have no experience with TSC coops but I have seen and looked at them closely for use as a brooder, I chose to build my own.

This topic comes up repeatedly on BYC; folks who have gone down this path typically say:

1. Upgrades are often needed on hardware and how the HC is attached.
2. If they are exposed to harsh weather they leak and the wood begins to break within 2 years.

"...a sufficient bare minimum, but I want to make sure that they would have enough room to roam and be happy...". From my experience (i have 30ish birds in a coop & run sized for 40 with the pop door open 24/7) "bare minimums" do not allow room to roam nor result in happy hens, more often the opposite is true. Also remember that your feeders/waterers take space that will subtract from the totals.

Yes additions like branches/blocks are good additions to a run. Just be careful that such additions do not subtract from available floor space.

You mention predators like mink, bears, raccoons. For mink you need to make sure there are no holes the size of a quarter or larger; bears will destroy that coop (and others much larger and stronger) in seconds, electrical fencing is the only protection; raccoons are very strong and have digits that are almost as dexterous as humans, unless the HC is attached very securely (screws & washers or over laid with wooden strips) they will peel it off with ease (I have seen one hanging off the HC trying to get in).

Good luck!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Does anyone have any experience with this run? It seems like a good potential add-on, but I'm not sure if the wire would be able to keep predators out.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-universal-poultry-pen-8-ft-x-8-ft-cr0808

You would need to augment the fencing with hardware cloth, as the gaps in that would not exclude weasels, snakes, rodents, and raccoons from reaching in. Most run kits have the same issue.

If you're willing to do the work (of adding on hardware cloth) you might look into dog kennels as an alternate option as might be cheaper or more readily available, but again you will need to cover up the chain link to some degree to exclude smaller pests and predators.

On the plus side for 3 hens this would be a decent amount of space, with room for the coop to be built or placed inside it for extra security.