How many hens can I fit in my coop?

[21hens-incharge]

Thank you for your kind advice. Your reassurance is much appreciated Can you suggest any modifications? I know you said it may not work but I'd like to give it a go rather than waste it.

I will take a look, thank you

Short of building an entirely different structure it still won't hold many birds but....

If you took one side off including the nest boxes and continued the roofline down on that side rebuilding the outer walls it gains you a tiny bit of space.

I would also be setting it on a platform 2' tall because getting on the ground to clean it would make me set it on fire to be rid of it.

How handy are you at building things? Do you have tools like saws and drills/impact drivers?
Do you have a friend who does?

 

[Cryss]

I just noticed this:

Run is 100sq ft and 6ft tall.

Your run is good for a maximum of 10 but I’d not go over 5-6. They have so much more fun with more space. This does NOT change the fact that the coop is simply too small for more than 1 or 2. Chickens are very social animals. If you have 2 and one gets sick or dies the other is alone. Replacing a single takes a month of quarantine pulse a few weeks of see-no-touch introductions. That’s a long time to be alone.

Also the coop itself is actually 5ft x 3.5ft but there are 2 nest boxes that take up lots on that space. Perhaps I could modify it... I don't know

You can’t eliminate nests. You don’t want poop eggs. Even if they are 1 foot each you now only have a 3x3. 9sqft is for 2 chickens.
Keep this coop for a chicken hospital or quarantine coop for future additions or an introduction coop, or a broody coop. Perfect size. But figure out how many you want , double that number, (chicken math is real!), and build accordingly.
I made the same faux pas when I was a newbie. I didn’t have the money to buy a$5G shed. We used pallets, scrap wood, some wood that Lowe’s let us have free from their scraps and cut offs, and a bit of lumber we needed to purchase. Bought hardware and screws and 1/2 inch hardware cloth and roof roll. $1700 bought not all at once, but as parts were needed rather than paid up front. I used all the information I gleaned from this forum and designed it stealing ideas from the best. I am so happy with my coop. I can enjoy my happy birds. I sit with them daily in the coop and the run. They aren’t a chore to care for. I love it. Don’t get discouraged. It’s worth it.

Btw mine now is 12x8 with 13 hens.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I actually rather like my prefab coop I got at tsc. Sure, it could certainly be made with better materials and be larger, but I can have a trio in there (or a quartet of smaller birds) just fine provided I keep up on cleaning it regularly. The roost bars are the same height as the boxes, but they never go in the boxes to sleep.


I have learned however when they put measurements as cm, it's too small.

 

[hensforhan]

Short of building an entirely different structure it still won't hold many birds but....

If you took one side off including the nest boxes and continued the roofline down on that side rebuilding the outer walls it gains you a tiny bit of space.

I would also be setting it on a platform 2' tall because getting on the ground to clean it would make me set it on fire to be rid of it.

How handy are you at building things? Do you have tools like saws and drills/impact drivers?
Do you have a friend who does?

Good idea, thank you. I will perhaps try that before giving up and getting a better coop.

We are going to raise it 2ft off the floor to give them space under. I'm up for some DIY but my dad is handy so could help with that.

 

[hensforhan]

I just noticed this:



Your run is good for a maximum of 10 but I’d not go over 5-6. They have so much more fun with more space. This does NOT change the fact that the coop is simply too small for more than 1 or 2. Chickens are very social animals. If you have 2 and one gets sick or dies the other is alone. Replacing a single takes a month of quarantine pulse a few weeks of see-no-touch introductions. That’s a long time to be alone.

You can’t eliminate nests. You don’t want poop eggs. Even if they are 1 foot each you now only have a 3x3. 9sqft is for 2 chickens.
Keep this coop for a chicken hospital or quarantine coop for future additions or an introduction coop, or a broody coop. Perfect size. But figure out how many you want , double that number, (chicken math is real!), and build accordingly.
I made the same faux pas when I was a newbie. I didn’t have the money to buy a$5G shed. We used pallets, scrap wood, some wood that Lowe’s let us have free from their scraps and cut offs, and a bit of lumber we needed to purchase. Bought hardware and screws and 1/2 inch hardware cloth and roof roll. $1700 bought not all at once, but as parts were needed rather than paid up front. I used all the information I gleaned from this forum and designed it stealing ideas from the best. I am so happy with my coop. I can enjoy my happy birds. I sit with them daily in the coop and the run. They aren’t a chore to care for. I love it. Don’t get discouraged. It’s worth it.

Btw mine now is 12x8 with 13 hens.

We only really wanted a max of 4 chickens, maybe some bantams included in that. Just a shame the coop is so small. Thank you for your advice!

 

[black_cat]

LMAO EXACTLY. You can see why they lie...

Treat Torture your chickens to the good cramped life they don't deserve with this elaborate poorly made Deluxe Outdoor Chicken Coop with Nesting Box and Chicken Run. This piece is both stylish and functional useless. This extra large model is still tiny and includes both indoor and outdoor spaces for your chickens to enjoy while being unprotected from predators and the elements. The attached outdoor run is easily accessible via ramp, so your chickens can come and go as they please. A metal slide-out tray makes it easy a hassle to keep this coop clean. Provide your hens with their very own poultry palace! prison!

 

[NatJ]

The main area (not including nest boxes) is 86cm x 83cm and the nest boxes both go out 34 cm and have 3 slots in each (I've heard you don't need very many nest boxes so I will probably take the divides out of one side and use it to put their food/water). I would probably like to get 1 or 2 silkies and the rest would be a mix of hybrids (most likely).

Using one set of "nestboxes" to hold food & water is a good idea, because you certainly don't need 6 for the number of birds that can live in that space.

If the silkies are bantam sized, then I think the coop is large enough for 3, maybe 4, but not more than that. (Or 3 to maybe 4 of any other kinds of bantams.)

 

[Tre3hugger]

Tre3hugger, wow, I really like what you built. I especially LOVE the handle on your guinea house door.

OP, my hubby built a 4x8 coop for me. So I thought, YAY! I can have 8 chickens at 4 sqft/per. I have 4 chickens in there now. I don't think there's really enough room for 4 more. Two or three more, I think. They take up a lot more space when they get big; when they were chicks, the coop looked a lot bigger.

Thanks!

 

[Tre3hugger]

Treat Torture your chickens to the good cramped life they don't deserve with this elaborate poorly made Deluxe Outdoor Chicken Coop with Nesting Box and Chicken Run. This piece is both stylish and functional useless. This extra large model is still tiny and includes both indoor and outdoor spaces for your chickens to enjoy while being unprotected from predators and the elements. The attached outdoor run is easily accessible via ramp, so your chickens can come and go as they please. A metal slide-out tray makes it easy a hassle to keep this coop clean. Provide your hens with their very own poultry palace! prison!

Nailed it!

 

[ackie]

Your coop is so pretty though. We just need a.... what the opposite of a shrink ray? it's a shame that it's too small because you did do a great job.

You could add some covered space in your run to help give your birds somewhere else to hide in bad weather besides the coop. Someone here just added lawn umbrellas to their uncovered run and it looks amazing. Or yknow plywood is always a thing. Maybe you could build some type of overhang off the coop to stretch its size a little bit.

(I'm assuming the run and coop are connected)