I'm in a bit of a pickle

[mr_dave]

My wife and I decided to try our hand at raising birds. We bought a couple ducklings. Then a few chicks. Then a couple more ducklings. Then a lot more chicks. We honestly got a little out of hand. I looked on the internet and found the following guidance: in the coop, 1.5-2 square feet per chicken, and 4 for ducks, with 8-10 square feet of run for each. I built a coop (not done, but functional) to those specifications, opting to the 2+ square feet to be on the safe side.

Well, after construction was well enough under way to be irreversible, I found this site and its 4 square-foot per chicken guidance. Not sure what to do. We're already into this coop WAY too much money for me to modify it. Here's what we have: 35 square feet of coop for the chickens with 4 nest boxes, 30 square feet below that for the ducks (the extra 5 square feet is stolen by a storage cabinet for feed). It's fully insulated (because I'm in the north where it gets frigid cold) and fairly well ventilated. The ducks have about 100 square feet of run, the chickens about 180. We have 14 chickens and 4 ducks, as follows:

Chickens:
2 White Leghorns
2 Buff Orpingtons
2 Black Sex Links
5 Easter Eggers (sold at the hardware store as misspelled Ameraucanas)
1 Barred Rock
1 Sapphire Gem (had 2, lost one)
1 Bantam Silkie (had 2, lost one)

Ducks (all breeds are guesses based on plumage, because they were a grab bag at the hardware store):
1 Dark Campbell
1 Blue Runner
1 Crested runner (mostly white, with a little brown on the tail)
1 Pekin (it's the youngest and already huge)

So that's my problem. I already have the birds. I already have the coop. I am out of construction budget. The flock may get thinned out a bit because we're really only interested in hens with maybe one rooster. The sex links and the Gem are definitely hens (obviously), the easter eggers were straight-run, and the rest were wing-sexed by an employee at the hardware store who had done 4H (so probably equivalent to straight-run). Right now, my best bet to avoid overcrowding is if a bunch of them turn out to be roosters and we have to find them a new home (which I know usually has a fairly grim end...). Suggestions? Should I just wait and see if they act too cooped up (no pun intended)?

Also, they are going to have to stay in their run. Too many hawks flying around to allow them to wander the yard.There's enough roost space for them to each have about 10" each at night, but the floor space is definitely too small by this community's standards (2.5 square feet per bird).

 

[Dayrel]

I can't comment on ducks as I've never had any.

As for the chickens, that is rather tight. 4&10sqft is not anything like a law, but it is a good rule of thumb to minimize crowding stress, particularly for those at the bottom of the pecking order.

Factory farms use about 1sqft spacing which doesn't give chickens any movement room at all. I'd look for solutions that allow you to use vertical space as much as possible- multiple roosts, roosts over nesting boxes (preferably with poop boards), etc.

If you aren't going to be doing any free ranging for your chickens and aren't looking to breed them, then any roosters can be removed. They can be good protectors and are needed to produce chicks, but if you only want eggs for consumption, they aren't necessary.

Good luck.

 

[Criticalicious]

Can you post some pictures? Everyone you talk to will give different space suggestions for birds, but only your birds know how much space they need. If they aren't picking on each other and seem otherwise healthy, then they may be fine. Especially if they grow up together, they will establish their pecking order early before they feel crowded.

Do you have a place for the ducks to get water? They can be messy

 

[JDN]

Make the run as secure as possible, and Cover the run with a tarp or something to keep rain/snow out, and the sides for some of the run with a tarp/OSB, whatever, as well. If all they're doing in the coop is roosting and nesting and they have unfettered access to the outside, they'll do better...

 

[HenHouse4Life]

My wife and I decided to try our hand at raising birds. We bought a couple ducklings. Then a few chicks. Then a couple more ducklings. Then a lot more chicks. We honestly got a little out of hand. I looked on the internet and found the following guidance: in the coop, 1.5-2 square feet per chicken, and 4 for ducks, with 8-10 square feet of run for each. I built a coop (not done, but functional) to those specifications, opting to the 2+ square feet to be on the safe side.

Well, after construction was well enough under way to be irreversible, I found this site and its 4 square-foot per chicken guidance. Not sure what to do. We're already into this coop WAY too much money for me to modify it. Here's what we have: 35 square feet of coop for the chickens with 4 nest boxes, 30 square feet below that for the ducks (the extra 5 square feet is stolen by a storage cabinet for feed). It's fully insulated (because I'm in the north where it gets frigid cold) and fairly well ventilated. The ducks have about 100 square feet of run, the chickens about 180. We have 14 chickens and 4 ducks, as follows:

Chickens:
2 White Leghorns
2 Buff Orpingtons
2 Black Sex Links
5 Easter Eggers (sold at the hardware store as misspelled Ameraucanas)
1 Barred Rock
1 Sapphire Gem (had 2, lost one)
1 Bantam Silkie (had 2, lost one)

Ducks (all breeds are guesses based on plumage, because they were a grab bag at the hardware store):
1 Dark Campbell
1 Blue Runner
1 Crested runner (mostly white, with a little brown on the tail)
1 Pekin (it's the youngest and already huge)

So that's my problem. I already have the birds. I already have the coop. I am out of construction budget. The flock may get thinned out a bit because we're really only interested in hens with maybe one rooster. The sex links and the Gem are definitely hens (obviously), the easter eggers were straight-run, and the rest were wing-sexed by an employee at the hardware store who had done 4H (so probably equivalent to straight-run). Right now, my best bet to avoid overcrowding is if a bunch of them turn out to be roosters and we have to find them a new home (which I know usually has a fairly grim end...). Suggestions? Should I just wait and see if they act too cooped up (no pun intended)?

Also, they are going to have to stay in their run. Too many hawks flying around to allow them to wander the yard.There's enough roost space for them to each have about 10" each at night, but the floor space is definitely too small by this community's standards (2.5 square feet per bird).

Question... are you planning on ducks and chickens together... in same coop? They technically should have separate areas. Just wondering

 

[mr_dave]

Question... are you planning on ducks and chickens together... in same coop? They technically should have separate areas. Just wondering

They are in the same structure, but separate. The ducks have the bottom 3 feet of the coop, the chickens are above them. They come out opposite corners of the building and the run is divided by a 3' high fence. The chickens could fly into the duck area if they really wanted to, but the ducks really have no way to get to the chicken area.

 

[mr_dave]

Do you have a place for the ducks to get water? They can be messy

The ducks have a kiddie pool. They can't get into it by themselves yet, but I plan to build up a tiered walk so they can climb to it. I've bought stuff to put a shower drain in the bottom of the pool to make it easy to clean, as well. Aside from that, I was planning to do an auto-waterer with a 5 gallon bucket with holes cut out for their heads and a float valve attached to a hose, but for now they are just eating and drinking out of tupperware and yes, they are quite messy.

 

[mr_dave]

Can you post some pictures?

Yes, I'll post some in the next couple days.

 

[MROO]

Welcome to "Chicken Math 101." It happens to all of us at some point. You just got hit early, is all!

Make sure you have at least one really low roost for your Silkie. Most Silkies can't fly at all so they can't get to higher ones - and if they do manage to hop up high and get bullied off (which happens a lot because they are so docile,) they can't break their fall by fluttering back down.

In both your run and your coop, "stair-step" your perches - think along the lines of cat-tree construction. Having multiple heights gives them more space and allows them a bit of entertainment.

Oh, and add some boredom busters - a hanging basket you can fill with greens or a whole head of cabbage; shiny cds, dvds or pie tins to peck and at least one chicken swing. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. A piece of scrap 2X4 (not pressure treated) or a piece of tree branch hanging from a couple of eye bolts works fine.

Keep them busy. The more interesting you make their surroundings, the less likely they'll be to pester each other!

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC!

Then a lot more chicks. We honestly got a little out of hand.

Ooops!

So that's my problem. I already have the birds. I already have the coop. I am out of construction budget. The flock may get thinned out a bit because we're really only interested in hens with maybe one rooster.

There ya go then!
Should be easy to sell any 'extra' pullets.
The cockerels, well, may be able to give them away,
if you don't want them yourself for meat.
Sure wouldn't count on that 'wing-sexing',
(or almost anything a farm store employee tells you)
it only applies to a very limited and specific cross.

One very important consideration when talking about housing is.
What is your climate?
If it's rather mild and you can make the run predator and weather proof,
you may get some relief there.
ETA: Ah the frigid north......lots of snow too?
that makes everything more difficult, unless your prepare for ease,
especially during those nasty days long storms some of us get.

Adding your location to your profile is easy, then it's always there!