Is my coop big enough, and do these breeds get along?

[CrazyChickGirl]

Also, you might be surprised at how small a coop is after it's built. Idk. I sure was. I thought our coop sounded so big. But by the time it was built and the roost and food and water was put it, it suddenly seemed very minimal. We also have 6 chickens, btw.

 

[keller298]

Update.
We extended the coop. It's now 4x6 with 2 nest boxes elevated off the ground. I'm still debating on roost placement.

 

[TheEggCollecter]

The coop is not really that small. I keep hens with two square feet in the coop and ten in the run. The breeds will be ok together. The Easter eggers will most likely be on the bottom of the pecking order and the golden comets on top (they tend to be bossy) the only thing I would change is - if it isn't too late - is raise the nestboxes. With them and the roost at the same height the hens may sleep in them and poop. Then they will lay eggs and they will get dirty. Good luck!

 

[TheEggCollecter]

Sorry I meant to say lower nestboxes lol

 

[scott6150]

Original Recipe!!! Your coop is WAAYYYY too small for 8 birds! I don't care how much roost bar they're not using. How would you like to be in such tight quarters with other humans?!?!?

 

[Original Recipe]

Scott6150,

I'll refer you back to my second post in this thread on page 3 (and also to many of the comments that followed) in case you offered up your opinion before reading the entire thread. There are no set space requirements, only general recommendations, but every situation is different and you need to consider all factors before determining if a coop is of adequate size or not.

The 4 sqft/bird in coop and 10 sqft/bird in run "rule" that you see quoted all over this site IMO seems to really only apply if that space is all that the birds have access to 24/7, and if they re all larger fowl of breeds that don't tolerate confinement well. What may not be enough coop space for one person's flock may be twice the coop needed for another person's flock of the same size.

Everyone puts so much emphasis on coop size, but the reality is the coop is where your birds spend the least amount of time. Dig through this site and tell me how many big elaborate coops with all the bells and whistles you see that are housing half the birds that they could. It's enough to give anyone some serious coop envy, but often times they are only sporting a small 8x10 run.

In my situation I do have only 2 sqft/bird in the coop itself, but they spend very little time there. They only use it for roosting and accessing the external nest box. Over the winter they utilized only half of the roosting space and over the summer they spread out and used all of it. The attached run is only 4' x 9' but is pretty much used for weather protection and to provide a dry place for food and water. There is an elevated wire panel catwalk/tunnel leading from the coop run to the main run which is 6' x 50'. This gives my girls 42 sqft of run space per bird and half of the time they are all laying in a pile in one corner dust bathing. Also, I am home from work by 2:00 PM daily at which time they are let out to free range on 5000 sqft of clover and rye grass until dark.

Still think my birds are over crowded? Well you're certainly entitled to your opinion, but I believe the only ones qualified to say if my birds are overcrowded are my birds themselves, and they will most definitely tell you. Overcrowded birds will show it in their overall health and appearance, their demeanor and their irritability towards their coop mates, and they will show signs in their egg production and shell quality as well. My girls are all very healthy and quite happy. They get along beautifully and have top notch egg quality. Feel free to surprise visit my place anytime and see for yourself.

 

[BarneyNCyndi]

Our coop is a little on the small side for a similar flock, both in size and breed selection. But we have a run and we move the coop and run every week and let them out to explore the rest of the yard when we are home in the evenings. That said they do not hesitate to return to their coop when it starts getting dark. Our coop is also taller, 4-5' ceiling.
Then too, our flock is only 12 weeks old and have some growing yet to do, so will have to see how they do as they mature.