If I "accidentally" buy too many chickens for my coop size...

[DraftXJumper]

Can I just add more roosting space to my existing (pre-fab) coop, or is it possible to add another small coop to the other end of our run? My husband is building us a beautiful run for our girls, but we had purchased a nice pre-fab coop (says 4-6 chickens). We have four girls, but are thinking of adding two more. I don't think our current coop would have enough roosting space, though it does have enough nesting boxes. If I had known my husband had secret carpentry skills, I would have had him build me a coop too! I am likely going to a nice farm today to pick up some new young pullets for myself and a friend, but I am worried our current coop will be too small when the cold months come and they're all inside more often. Any advice (other than to say don't get more pullets...I've always wanted an Ameraucana & a lavendar Orpington!)? TIA!
PS - We have the room on a large corner lot on the edge of town for free-ranging, I'm just worried about hawks.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

As you have one of those prefabed coops, I'd say start planning what your home built is going to look like. Everything I've heard on the prefabs is that they are flimsy and essentially fall apart around a year, depending on how much rain you have. So, plan a home made coop and make sure you have enough space for all of your girls.

 

[snow5164]

You'll need more room for sure. Feather picking and fights for the roost is not pretty.

Start now before you find more chicks

 

[DraftXJumper]

Thanks for your advice! The guy I was going to buy from has beautiful birds, but only seasonally, hence my impatience to get some. I was wondering if we could just add more space to our current coop while the new girls were in quarantine? Then next year we could build a whole new, fabulous castle for the girls

 

[Wilmer Gehman]

Me and my neighbor share 20 hens and 1 rooster they sleep in a small coop with just six nesting boxes. They love to roost, so we have 3 boards about 1 1/2 ft of the floor of the coop nailed across it. All of them rest on the boards. Though we do have another much larger coop where most of them prefer to lay their eggs. Funny right? Our hens are quite friendly toward one another even if they are all cooped up together at night. if you want more roosting places in your coop, try nailing a couple boards across it. ( if you haven't already.)

 

[jennyf]

How big is your current coop, and what are the ages of the birds you already have and are planning to get? I have six happy birds in 20 sq feet coop (less than 4 ft min per bird) but I think I've been able to get away with it due to a few factors: 1) covered part of run means they hang out there in bad weather, not crowding in coop, 2) all raised together from chicks, not introduced later, and 3) extra extra run space. I'd be more concerned with integration. Pictures would be helpful. I've seen folks here who basically converted the run part of the pre fab coop/run to coop by closing it in. That might work with your style. But have a plan B for sure--you'll love your pretty new birds and don't want them to be injured due to overcrowding in your current setup.

 

[RonC]

Climate plays a big part in how much coop you need. Might want to put at least your state in for a location, makes answering questions easier. It seldom gets really cold here but have never seen mine stay in the coop all day. Sixteen degrees and they were out roaming and scratching.

 

[DraftXJumper]

Well, my husband said he would build more roosting space for our coop this weekend...which is good because my boys and I picked up a super cute Ameraucana pullet this evening! I suspect she's an Easter Egger, but we'll see. Either way, she has markings like a hawk, and we're excited to have her! She needs lots of love and attention, as she was treated like livestock at this farm. That's fine for some people, but we're hoping to have calmer, friendlier birds, if possible. Can't wait until she's done in quarantine.

 

[aart]

You're gonna need a bigger coop in WI over the winter.
But you knew that before starting this thread, didn't you?

 

[DraftXJumper]

You're gonna need a bigger coop in WI over the winter.
But you knew that before starting this thread, didn't you?

Dang upper Midwest winters. I need to move!