Integrating chicks and chicken run

[Lor]

This image came from Pinterest. I plan to make something similar. It will help one of my shy chicks get away from the others. She likes to roost up high and watch the shenanigans.
It might be helpful to you.
I have found using things I have on hand leaning up against the fences is helpful. The chicks run in one side and out the other to get away from the bigger hens. Sometimes they just like to lay in/under there.

 

[aart]

They aren’t in the coop during the day, they’re in the gated area. They only go inside at night.
Also, I’m aware it’s boring looking. That’s why I’m asking for help but thanks

We are trying to help.
A crowded coop is where behavioral issues start, doesn't matter how big the run is.
Roosting time is the most contentious part of the day.

 

[3KillerBs]

They only go inside at night.

From an article I'm writing:

But I free range/have a huge run and my chickens only use the coop to sleep and lay eggs! Why do I need all that space inside?​

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You might not. As I've said, these are guidelines, not hard-and-fast rules.​

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If you never close the pop door so that your coop and run function together as a fully integrated system that is the equivalent of a huge, open-air coop, then your flock might be just fine for years, even decades.​

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If you are always out there to open the pop door at the crack of dawn or you have an ultra-reliable automatic door so that your chickens never lack access to their free range territory during the daylight hours, then your flock might be just fine for years, even decades.​

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If you live in a mild climate where chickens can always go out into their run/range and are never kept in by snow or storms, then your flock might be just fine for decades. People who keep chickens in places with tropical and subtropical climates do successfully go without a coop at all, just offering a covered roost and some nestboxes.​

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But when something happens ...​

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When a determined predator moves in and breaks through the fencing so that you have to confine the flock to the coop itself so that you can fix the run,​

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When an extreme weather event prevents your chickens from leaving shelter for days,​

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When an emergency calls you out of town and you can't find someone willing to be there at the crack of dawn to open the pop door,​

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Then you could have a mess on your hands.​

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Which brings us back to the issue of flexibility and options. Any time you push a system hard against it's limits you have to count on everything remaining stable -- exactly as it is without any changes. How well that's likely to work depends on your specific circumstances. You may never encounter an unfortunate circumstance -- some people DO hit the lottery, after all. ​

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Integration is one of the times when you need extra space and crowding can become a severe problem.

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

17 chickens need:

• 68 square feet in the coop. That's 8x8.8 -- open floor space, not counting the nests.
• 170 square feet in the run.
• 17 linear feet of roost
• 5 nest boxes
• 17 square feet of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation -- best located above the birds heads when they're sitting on the roost.

You didn't give measurements for your coop, but it *looks* like a 4x8? That's less than half what you need.

An over-sized run can only compensate so far when the coop is so tight that the birds are packed in like feathered sardines.