More chickens.

[3KillerBs]

Here are some useful articles on integration:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-coop-brooder-and-integration.74591/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/introducing-new-chickens-using-the-“see-but-don’t-touch”-method.67839/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/adding-to-your-flock.47756/

 

[aart]

No it is a 1.2m cube with 3 nesting boxes multiple levels and enough room for 2 roosts but currently only has one. Also they are only in there at night and to lay.

Ah, so 4' x 4' x 4'.
16 sqft (~5sq meters) of floor space...room for 3 maybe 4 birds.

The height only really plays into ventilation space, and 1.2m is not very high.
The higher the ventilation the better, during either hot or cold weather.

I'd want more coop space for more birds.

 

[3KillerBs]

Ah, so 4' x 4' x 4'.
16 sqft (~5sq meters) of floor space...room for 3 maybe 4 birds.

The height only really plays into ventilation space, and 1.2m is not very high.
The higher the ventilation the better, during either hot or cold weather.

I'd want more coop space for more birds.

This.

My Little Monitor Coop is a 4x4x4. It is meant for 4 hens and I am currently getting away with having 5 in there due to living in an area with an unusually clement climate where my chickens are never confined to the coop alone and to having a vastly-oversized run.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/

For 6 chickens you'll need:

• 24 square feet in the coop. (2.25 square meters)
• 6 feet of roost (about 2 meters)
• 60 square feet in the run. (5.6 square meters)
• 6 square feet of ventilation. (.6 meters)
• 2 nest boxes, to give the hens a choice

Integration is one of the situations where extra space above these minimums is a good idea.

Here are some useful articles on integration:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-coop-brooder-and-integration.74591/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/introducing-new-chickens-using-the-“see-but-don’t-touch”-method.67839/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/adding-to-your-flock.47756/

I made an integration pen out of a very large dog crate and a "playpen" I'd been given: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/mini-coop-or-integration-pen-from-a-large-dog-crate.76593/

 

[Tom90]

This.

My Little Monitor Coop is a 4x4x4. It is meant for 4 hens and I am currently getting away with having 5 in there due to living in an area with an unusually clement climate where my chickens are never confined to the coop alone and to having a vastly-oversized run.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/

For 6 chickens you'll need:

• 24 square feet in the coop. (2.25 square meters)
• 6 feet of roost (about 2 meters)
• 60 square feet in the run. (5.6 square meters)
• 6 square feet of ventilation. (.6 meters)
• 2 nest boxes, to give the hens a choice

Integration is one of the situations where extra space above these minimums is a good idea.

Here are some useful articles on integration:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-coop-brooder-and-integration.74591/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/introducing-new-chickens-using-the-“see-but-don’t-touch”-method.67839/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/adding-to-your-flock.47756/

I made an integration pen out of a very large dog crate and a "playpen" I'd been given: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/mini-coop-or-integration-pen-from-a-large-dog-crate.76593/

Thanks for the reply. Those measurements are helpful, so my run area is roughly 430 square feet with several undercover protected places. So that's covered, but in regards to the coop it has a floor space of 4 square feet and currently 3 nesting boxes and 4 feet of roost (with space for another 4 feet). I'm not sure what set up you have but my girls come outside when the automatic door opens in the morning and only go back inside to lay and at night, so I am unsure as to why so much floor space is needed inside when it is never used?

 

[aart]

I'm not sure what set up you have but my girls come outside when the automatic door opens in the morning and only go back inside to lay and at night, so I am unsure as to why so much floor space is needed inside when it is never used?

If your run is weather and predator proof and your climate is mild,
you can get away with less coop space.
In my climate, I need that extra coop space due to the extreme winter weather we get and my run is not weather proof.

 

[NatJ]

I am unsure as to why so much floor space is needed inside when it is never used?

Because the space is used when the chickens have to stay inside after they wake up but the door isn't open yet, or because of a snowstorm, or because of a really heavy rain, or because a new predator started to kill the chickens and the run isn't safe but the coop is, or because they are laying eggs in the wrong place and need to re-learn to use the nestboxes, or because a disease is spreading and the government requires all chickens to remain under cover, or for a variety of other reasons.

It's also a general guideline that is meant to work for most flocks in most climates, which means it will be wrong or downright silly for some conditions. I am sure I've already listed a few reasons that will never apply to you, and missed a few that might happen.

 

[3KillerBs]

Thanks for the reply. Those measurements are helpful, so my run area is roughly 430 square feet with several undercover protected places. So that's covered, but in regards to the coop it has a floor space of 4 square feet and currently 3 nesting boxes and 4 feet of roost (with space for another 4 feet). I'm not sure what set up you have but my girls come outside when the automatic door opens in the morning and only go back inside to lay and at night, so I am unsure as to why so much floor space is needed inside when it is never used?

To quote from an article I'm writing:

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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.​

​

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.​

​

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,​

​

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.​

​

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. ​

And here is a whole thread on when it's a good idea to have more than the minimums for space: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ave-more-than-the-minimums-for-space.1462570/

I am currently keeping 5 hens in a coop meant for 4 thanks to an unusually clement climate and a vastly-over-sized run. But my 4, 13-week-olds are sleeping in a crate because I CANNOT expect to move them into that coop to sleep, putting the density at less than 2 square feet per chicken, without bloodshed as they fight over roost space and even floor-sleeping space despite the fact that I open up soon after dawn any morning that I'm not ill.

The 4 square feet is really a very small -- the size of this doormat.