New coop, help needed

[jaygrim]

Hi every one I have just bought and erected one of these http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/chicke...cDPfxIrYzUvEu76RzzM6wutKTeo9AOCB tDs76aYYKg== but I've added my own roofed run so the chicken have a lot of space, I'll post pic's later. I'm a bit worried about the size of the coop I know it says 4 hens but I was thinking two or three... Any idea's?

 

[stubbornhill]

The recomendation for inside the coop is 4sq feet per bird, unless you are talking bantum. I hope this helps! Congrats on your new coop!

 

[Nicole01]

Looks great to me!

 

[Judy]

Their dimensions include nesting box and roof overhang so it's just a guess how much usable floor space there is, and the 4 sq ft refers to actual floor space they can walk on. Probably you're right that 2 or 3 hens is enough for it. It also depends on how it's arranged and your weather. If food and water are outside, not in the way in the coop, and with a larger outdoor area, and a big enough roost for 4, and your climate is fairly mild or the run protected (so they won't be snowed in,) you might be able to get away with 4 large fowl without problems. If bantams, a couple more should work.

That said, more space is of course always better.

 

[7L Farm]

The main problem with a small coop is when the weather goes south & the birds are confined to stay inside for a few days. This is when you could possibly have problems. I think if they are just roosting at night no biggie. Even where I live with mainly hot weather not much winter my birds got confined for a few days & my coop is 80 sq ft & I only have 11 chickens in there so that's close to 8 sq ft per bird & that was not enough space for my flock. But again all flocks are different. I have now gone to three sided coops & they are the ticket.There easier to build & the birds really seem comfortable in this type of coop.

 

[jaygrim]

Thanks.

 

[sdsharko]

I actually have the same coop, and am in the process of building a larger one. I dont feel that it has enough room for my 3 orphs so I'm going to bite the bullet and build on also. I will post pics once it is finalized.

 

[jaygrim]

Ok so I went to pick my chickens up and asked the guy for some advise and he told me three would be fine. Last night was their first night in the new home and two went to bed while one decided to go onto a perch I built on the extended run. I put her to bed and two went on the perch and one stayed on the floor, they did the same thing tonight. Is this Ok?