I currently have just 6 hens in a chicken tractor. Well I've got 6 chicks that will be placed in there about June or July. What I have now is just 4'x8'x4'. The new one that I have designed is 8ft wide X 12ft. long X 4ft. tall. Do y'all think that it will be large enough for the 12 hens once I add the other 6? Is 3 nest boxes enough or will I need 4? The coop itself will be 3ft high 3ft deep and 8ft wide. Half of it will be roosting area. Is the room that I'm allotting enough for then? Should I make it stationary or mobile? Thanks in advance.
Well, I think that your second design just sounds so super big that it will be difficult to move it. It is a little small for 12 hens, but might work. The tricky part, is since it is a bit small, is introducing the two flocks to each other (not enough space for chicks to run away). I would suggest having the new little chicks in the bigger coop for long enough that the chicks see it as their space, and then adding the hens. That would give you the greatest chance of success.
Agreed on the second being hard to move. On dimensions, I figured 3 square feet for each of my birds. Of course, breed can influence this, but this has worked well for all my breeds thus far. They haven't complained.
