I’m a bit worried... Will this be to small?

[Lemon-Drop]

Hi! So, I have 6 chickens currently that are living in my coop. I also have 7 chicks (3 weeks old) I am worried though about the coop size. I really want my chickens to be happy, but I realized our coop might be to small. I have read, both here and on other sites, that the coop should have at least 4 feet per hen. But, by my calculations, each hen in my coop would have a tiny bit over 3’ (very close, 3.0679 feet) per hen. Of course, some of my new chicks might be cockerels, but assuming they’re all pullets, will it be ok to have them all in that coop? It is 5’ wide, 8’ long, 6’ tall, excluding nesting boxes. So 40sq feet, 240 cubic feet. There are 3 nesting boxes, but they all like to crowd in one box. I am also going to add another roost. Also, the run is 750 square feet. They are only in the coop at night, I let them out early in the morning, and free range them most of the day, after they are done laying. I hope this is enough information, here are some pictures of the coop. Thanks in advance! I really appreciate all feedback!

 

[rosemarythyme]

It might work out, it might not. Are you willing to rehome some birds if need be?

Also is there additional ventilation under the soffits? You're potentially going to double the moisture and ammonia output in there, so you may need more ventilation if the gable vent and windows are all that's available.

 

[LateBirdFarms]

Are they standard sized chickens (large fowl) or bantams? Are you're thinking of housing several cockerels in there or just keeping those that turn out to be pullets?

 

[Vickischics]

I can't say this enough. But, by looking at your cute coop picture, you definitely need more ventilation. Im saying this for your current chickens. The poop emits a large amount of ammonia and without ventilation, the ammonia and moisture will be deadly.
Open up the top under the roof (soffit area) and use Hardware cloth. Remember to really secure it to keep preditors from pushing the wire in. They are strong & smart when they know a dinner is inside.
You can also add windows with a shutter to lock down when its cold and windy. I can't stress enough the importance of Ventilation.
I can promise you, your ladies will Thank you for that added ventilation along the top.

 

[3KillerBs]

In addition to the 4 square feet of floor space per hen they also need 1 linear foot of roost and, critically-important, 1 square foot of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation -- ideally placed above the birds' heads when they are sitting on their roost.

Additionally, integrating new birds into your flock requires extra space.

Some breeds and some individual chickens are more tolerant of tight quarters than others, but the more crowded the chickens are the more likely you are to see problem behaviors -- bullying, feather-picking, etc.

My empirical test for adequate ventilation is simple. Go into the coop on a warm, sunny day. If it's hotter inside than out you need more ventilation.

Since heat and ammonia both rise that ventilation should be directly under the roof if at all possible.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

It might work out, it might not. Are you willing to rehome some birds if need be?

Also is there additional ventilation under the soffits? You're potentially going to double the moisture and ammonia output in there, so you may need more ventilation if the gable vent and windows are all that's available.

Thank you for your help. I will definitely make sure to add more (much more) ventilation. I suppose I could rehome some birds, but I get quite attached to them so it’s not my favorite option.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

Are they standard sized chickens (large fowl) or bantams? Are you're thinking of housing several cockerels in there or just keeping those that turn out to be pullets?

Only pullets, we aren’t allowed to keep cockerels. Though our three week old chicks are supposed to be females, but of course that isn’t always accurate. They are mostly standard chickens, with the exception of 2 bantams. We originally had 3, but one was killed in a predator attack. Thank you for your help!

 

[Lemon-Drop]

I can't say this enough. But, by looking at your cute coop picture, you definitely need more ventilation. Im saying this for your current chickens. The poop emits a large amount of ammonia and without ventilation, the ammonia and moisture will be deadly.
Open up the top under the roof (soffit area) and use Hardware cloth. Remember to really secure it to keep preditors from pushing the wire in. They are strong & smart when they know a dinner is inside.
You can also add windows with a shutter to lock down when its cold and windy. I can't stress enough the importance of Ventilation.
I can promise you, your ladies will Thank you for that added ventilation along the top.

Ok! I will make sure to add much, much, more ventilation, it’s going on to my spring maintenance list!

 

[Lemon-Drop]

In addition to the 4 square feet of floor space per hen they also need 1 linear foot of roost and, critically-important, 1 square foot of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation -- ideally placed above the birds' heads when they are sitting on their roost.

Additionally, integrating new birds into your flock requires extra space.

Some breeds and some individual chickens are more tolerant of tight quarters than others, but the more crowded the chickens are the more likely you are to see problem behaviors -- bullying, feather-picking, etc.

My empirical test for adequate ventilation is simple. Go into the coop on a warm, sunny day. If it's hotter inside than out you need more ventilation.

Since heat and ammonia both rise that ventilation should be directly under the roof if at all possible.

Ok, thank you! I’ll make sure to add more ventilation, and I’ll do it above the roosts right near the roof. Thank you!

 

[LateBirdFarms]

Something to keep in mind when cutting it close with coop size (other than the ventilation that has been brought up already, and the roosts, which you mentioned you would be adding in your first postl) is what your situation is going to be like in inclement weather conditions. If you've got a huge storm brewing, are your chickens going to be crammed together for 3 days without adequate room to move? It's great to have a good sized run and to be able to let your flock roam, but coop size is important for more reasons than just sleeping space, so it's always something to keep in mind when determining how much wiggle room you have with square footage. To some it's not important, but to me it's a biggie, especially during the half of the year we may get a massive snow dump that locks everything down. A lot will depend on the personalities of the individual birds. Keep in mind, that pretty coop is going to be not so pretty without some decent time cleaning after more than doubling your flock.
Have you considered how you're going to integrate the two flocks?