Review Request by Expert Member

[BilalZahid]

Dear BYC members,

Planing to get Australorps, I know I should have done my research earlier but I have already had the coop built.

Dimensions are as follows.

Outer cage: 6 x 6 feet
Smaller Coop: 3 x 3 feet

The area gets plenty of sunlight wind and I will use Tarps for protection from harsh weather and night time.

I live in Islamabad, we get plenty of rain through out the year. average temperature is around 35 to 38 degree Celsius in summers and 8 to 12 degrees in winter but it can go down to 0 degrees at night.

Thinking of getting 12 hens and two roosters which will give around 2.5 square foot area for each bird in the outer cage.

Attaching pictures in hope of getting reviews and suggestion form valuable experience of member.

Thanks in advance.

Best Regards
Bilal Zahid

 

[DobieLover]

Dear BYC members,

Planing to get Australorps, I know I should have done my research earlier but I have already had the coop built.

Dimensions are as follows.

Outer cage: 6 x 6 feet
Smaller Coop: 3 x 3 feet

The area gets plenty of sunlight wind and I will use Tarps for protection from harsh weather and night time.

I live in Islamabad, we get plenty of rain through out the year. average temperature is around 35 to 38 degree Celsius in summers and 8 to 12 degrees in winter but it can go down to 0 degrees at night.

Thinking of getting 12 hens and two roosters which will give around 2.5 square foot area for each bird in the outer cage.

Attaching pictures in hope of getting reviews and suggestion form valuable experience of member.

Thanks in advance.

Best Regards
Bilal Zahid

You've made an enclosure large enough for 3 birds, especially considering the high heat they will have to tolerate.
They will cook in the sun with no shade.

 

[BilalZahid]

You've made an enclosure large enough for 3 birds, especially considering the high heat they will have to tolerate.
They will cook in the sun with no shade.

Thank you for your feedback.
As I mentioned earlier am going to use tarps for protection from sun and rain, something like the attached images. Secondly the temperature here is quite moderate most of the time.
Also based on recommendations here I can easily close the top of the enclosure fully or partially.

As far as the no. is concerned a quick google search showed that 2 to 3 square feet per chicken was enough, is it because of the style of the enclosure that you are recommending a much smaller no. or the 2-3 square foot formula is incorrect.

Looking forward to your guidance.

Thank you!

 

[DobieLover]

Thank you for your feedback.
As I mentioned earlier am going to use tarps for protection from sun and rain, something like the attached images. Secondly the temperature here is quite moderate most of the time.
Also based on recommendations here I can easily close the top of the enclosure fully or partially.

As far as the no. is concerned a quick google search showed that 2 to 3 square feet per chicken was enough, is it because of the style of the enclosure that you are recommending a much smaller no. or the 2-3 square foot formula is incorrect.

Looking forward to your guidance.

Thank you!

Google apparently doesn't raise chickens!
I believe the number you are getting is for FACTORY farming where the birds are debeaked because their stress levels are so high living in such tight quarters that they peak each other.
Then there are the sanitation issues of keeping that many birds in such a small area.
It just won't end well for the birds. I don't know what else to say. It isn't nearly enough space.
The coop needs to be very well ventilated which yours is. It needs to be protected from drafts that will open feathers during the cold weather. With a fully predator proof run you can get away with a smaller coop. Maybe 3 sq ft per bird in the coop. The run should be 12-15 sq feet per bird. The run needs litter just like the coop. Birds can't be kept in their own waste. It needs to break down and decompose or be removed daily. Birds need dust/dirt to bathe in and keep their skin healthy. They need medium to scratch around in for their well being too.
You need to provide all that for them to be healthy happy birds.

 

[BilalZahid]

Google apparently doesn't raise chickens!
I believe the number you are getting is for FACTORY farming where the birds are debeaked because their stress levels are so high living in such tight quarters that they peak each other.
Then there are the sanitation issues of keeping that many birds in such a small area.
It just won't end well for the birds. I don't know what else to say. It isn't nearly enough space.
The coop needs to be very well ventilated which yours is. It needs to be protected from drafts that will open feathers during the cold weather. With a fully predator proof run you can get away with a smaller coop. Maybe 3 sq ft per bird in the coop. The run should be 12-15 sq feet per bird. The run needs litter just like the coop. Birds can't be kept in their own waste. It needs to break down and decompose or be removed daily. Birds need dust/dirt to bathe in and keep their skin healthy. They need medium to scratch around in for their well being too.
You need to provide all that for them to be healthy happy birds.

Will definitely keep these things in consideration, thanks again for the the advice.

 

[Mamatomany123]

Way too small. Your setup is suitable for 2 birds, 3 is pushing it. Also, a good ration is 10 hens per rooster. If you get 12 hens and 2 roosters then you will end up with overbred hens and a possible dead rooster.

 

[BilalZahid]

Thanks, moral of the story, I need to read up more before getting started