Is my coop too small

[Teenybeeny]

Hi everyone! I have a a quick question. We had a coop built for our 19 chicks. The coop is 6' x 7' with six nesting boxes and two roosting bars. The run is 7' x 20'. We do plan on free ranging them as they get older.

We were told that this combination coop could hold approximately 20 chickens. However, after researching, we've come to the conclusion that the coop may not be big enough. I've read in many places that the coop should be 3 sq. ft. per chicken. Our coop is only 42 sq. ft. and if we use the calculation, we would need 57 sq. ft. So now we're a bit nervous.

Will the chicks be ok with what we have or are they going to be too cramped?

 

[GC-Raptor]

Sadly many manufacturers overstate capacity for coops.
Your coop is ideal for 10 Chickens, 14 Max or
14 Bantams, 17 Max.

My newest coop "22.5 square feet". "Manufacturer said 12 to 15 Chickens capacity"
I had 7 Barred Rocks in there. 3 square feet per chicken. They did Ok, the coop has two 6 foot roosts, so plenty of room at night.
I had a Blizzard one day and had to lock em in the coop. They were not happy.

I had to cull two chickens, not because of the Blizzard.

They were much happier with 4 square feet per chicken, when locked in coop.

I lost one a couple weeks ago to a Fox while free ranging, so I only have 4 Barred Rocks left. Plenty of room now if I get another severe storm.
GC

 

[CrazyDuckDude816]

As long as you have lots of extra roosting space, you chould be fine. I would extend the run though.

 

[sourland]

Even 4 sq' per bird is a bit on the low side. That being said a lot depends upon the weather where you live. If winter conditions cause the birds to be trapped in the coop problems may arise. Allowed access to the pen and free ranging things MAY be fine. Most common problem is feather pecking/plucking which can sometimes escalate to cannibalism.

 

[Teenybeeny]

I had a feeling we weren’t building large enough. We had originally planned on 12 chickens total, but the boyfriend got a bug up his butt and got more chicks. None of them on the small side... However, we do have an extra coop and run that we had bought from Tractor Supply. Might have to set that up for the wee little ones that would go outside to the coop last. Thanks everyone! We do have two 6’ roosting bars now and looking to see if a third could be added. We also have three coop swings that we are adding to the run.
Wish me luck as we try and figure this out!

 

[Eggscaping]

I had a feeling we weren’t building large enough. We had originally planned on 12 chickens total, but the boyfriend got a bug up his butt and got more chicks. None of them on the small side... However, we do have an extra coop and run that we had bought from Tractor Supply. Might have to set that up for the wee little ones that would go outside to the coop last. Thanks everyone! We do have two 6’ roosting bars now and looking to see if a third could be added. We also have three coop swings that we are adding to the run.
Wish me luck as we try and figure this out!

It's totally not your fault. ALL of the 'boxed' coop/run sets that I have seen are deliriously, insanely optimistic about numbers. "Yes! You can keep twenty chickens in this tiny coop! It'll be fine!" I always wonder if they just do that to sell more coops or if they honestly have never even seen a chicken in RL and didn't care to do any research on realistic numbers per foot. Well, sure, you certainly CAN keep ten birds in a five foot square coop and six foot run combo, but they'll be on each other's nerves constantly as they experience stress from not being able to distance themselves appropriately. Maude dislikes Gertie and since Maude is the badass in the flock she keeps giving Gertie the 'get out of my way' stink-eye. Gertie would love to move far enough away, but she can't...the space isn't there. So the two of them are always on each other's last nerve. Stress levels rise, someone gets pecked, the others are unhappy too.
I'd love to take the sellers of those tiny setups and put them into a room with a whole bunch of other folks, all with their own annoying habits and then lock the door and see how they like it.
Plus, there's the chicken-gas agenda. Do you know that, when confined too closely together, chickens are too embarrassed to pass gas? You know what that leads to, right? No? Well let me tell you! EXPLODING EGGS!! That's right! All that chicken gas has to go somewhere and since they won't let it out when not properly socially distanced, they download it into their eggs when they lay them. And let me tell you, you do NOT want to crack open a methane-filled egg!!! Some people say the eggs are 'rotten' from being old, or such, but WE know that it was all because those poor chickens were confined too closely together! So please...give those poor hens room to pass gas!!*



*note: the last paragraph above is pure B.S. of course...the product of too much caffeine and time on my hands because it's raining today and can't go outside.

 

[rosemarythyme]

We do have two 6’ roosting bars now and looking to see if a third could be added.

Definitely add a third somewhere, even if chickens end up roosting in the run. You might be able to get away with less floor space than recommended but it's hard to get good results skimping on roost space. Each bird needs approx. 12" of roost space - your original idea of getting 12 birds was spot on for this build.

 

[aart]

Does the 6x7 include the nests?
Is your feed/water taking up some space inside the coop?
How old are your birds now?
Any 'extra' cockerels can be eaten, extra pullets can be sold.
You, and the birds, will be much happier with fewer birds in that setup.

Oh, and... Welcome to BYC! @Teenybeeny
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Teenybeeny]

Does the 6x7 include the nests?
Is your feed/water taking up some space inside the coop?
How old are your birds now?
Any 'extra' cockerels can be eaten, extra pullets can be sold.
You, and the birds, will be much happier with fewer birds in that setup.

Oh, and... Welcome to BYC! @Teenybeeny
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 2103649

Good morning! Updated my profile with location. . I am in Westminster, MD. Which is pretty much northern Maryland, close to the Pennsylvania line.
The feed are wall mounted feed containers. So they don’t take up any room. The waterer hangs from the ceiling. The nesting boxes are not part of the 6’ x 7’ coop as it is a bump out from the coop.

The oldest chicks are 7 weeks today. The youngest chicks are 1 week old. We are adding a third roosting bar and plan on leaving the coop door to the run open for the majority of the year. Winter is our issue. We had a pretty mild winter this past year, but one never knows how that will pan out. My boyfriends thought is, we do have some dual purpose birds, so we’ll just use them for food. Problem with that is, the dual purpose chicks were our first, so they’re kind of my babies!

I appreciate everyone’s advice! We’re going to look at possible expansion, or talk with our neighbor who also has chickens and see if she has any room for them or to whom we may be able to sell a few to.