Is my coop big enough?? Please reply! 🙏

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

I have 5 adult hens and 6 pullets (one of which is a Brahma), so eventually we will have 11 hens living in the coop! Is my coop big enough to house all of them? I have a large run (as seen in the pictures) and the coop door is always open so they can leave the coop as soon as they wake up, so my logic was they don't need a huge coop. It's also worth noting that, in the summer, two of my hens sleep in the tree at night (I gave up trying to put them in the coop); along with that, a few hens sleep in the rafters. In the winter the run is pretty well covered by a tree and they can go inside and under the coop to escape the snow (I also shovel the run when needed). In the summer, along with the cover I just mentioned, they also have a raspberry bush for shade.
All that said, do they really need a large coop if they have plenty of run space?

Note: I don't have the exact measurements for the coop or run

PICTURES:

The Coop:

Inside the Coop:

The Run: (the run with the tall fence is connected to the run with the short fence)

P.S. The reason that the coop is so small is because I didn't plan in being affected by chicken math

 

[50-45-1]

I see you are Idaho, do you get snow? Will there be days when they cant get outside?

 

[nuthatched]

What are the coop measurements?

 

[50-45-1]

Also the "coop door always open" is concerning.
Looks to me like a racoon would not have much trouble getting over your fence some night.
One thing I learned was that once you have chickens, you soon learn just how many chicken eating critters you have in your area.
Sure, all can be quiet and tranquil for a while at first, then it's like the news gets out that you are serving free fresh chicken. and you start loosing one a week then one a day or maybe dozens in one night.
The ones in the tree you find headless in the morning.
All you find of your favorite hen, is a pile of feathers...
Not trying to scare you but would rather you get prepared.
I purchased a few trail cameras and was shocked just how many different preditors are roaming around by back 40. This includes Raptors, owls, fox, coyote, racoon, possum, weasel, bob cat, bear, feral cat, neighbors dog, Heck! Sometimes my dog!
I have lost chickens to everything on the above list except bear. He just sniffed around my coop looking for a way in.

 

[FrostRanger]

I would need exact measurements but that coop looks way too small even for 5 hens. General rule of thumb is you want 4 sqft of floor space, 1sqft of roost space, 1sqft (2-3sqft in hot climates) of ventilation and 10 sqft of run space per bird. For 11 birds you'd want at a bare minimum, 44sqft of coop space (not including space for nest boxes and feeders or waterers) 11sqft of roost space, 11-33sqft of ventilation and 110sqft of run space. Again, this is the absolute minimum amount of space you want, I would go bigger if possible 'cause as you found out chicken math is real and chickens will never complain about too much room. With integration especially you want as much room as possible

 

[SandyRiverChick]

From the picture your coop looks to be the same size as my first coop where I had 6 hens in it and they were too crowded. With an acre for them to free-range I had your same mindset that just sleeping at night, they could be snug but that doesn't factor in behavior. One got very pecked from both sides. Hard lesson to learn about crowding. They really do need more space for peaceful roosting. My rule of thumb now is at least 13inches roost bar space / hen. Pretty sure the recommendation is no less than 10.

 

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

What are the coop measurements?

The measurement of my coop is roughly 5ft by 5ft (if I remember correctly)

 

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

I see you are Idaho, do you get snow? Will there be days when they cant get outside?

I do get snow here, but they usually have cover outside the coop and I shovel the run occasionally

 

[nuthatched]

The measurement of my coop is roughly 5ft by 5ft (if I remember correctly)

You're already at max with 5.

 

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

What would you guys suggest I do if my coop is too small to fit my hens? I am on a budget and can't afford to buy another coop...