Second year with chickens

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Friend, Build big! Your birds are worth it! :old
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DobieLover said:
Hello and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.
I agree with Sour about the shortened days and the age of your flock.
I would build a much larger coop before expanding your flock. The prefabs are always far overestimated for the number of birds they can house. In snow country you should shoot for 4 sq ft of coop space per bird minimum. When you integrate new birds into an existing flock, you need lots and lots of space. Flock integration can get ugly without enough resources.
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I need clarification.The birds are only in the coop for roosting and at this point, they crowd together and only use about 3' max on one roosting bar. There's about 4' left on that bar and another roosting bar to use. As soon as it's light, the door opens and they are out in the 12' X 18' hoop house. If the weather's good and they want to, they can go out in a 30' X 60' orchard. I could see the need for more space if they were confined, but they are only in there to sleep. Do I really need a larger coop?
 
I think your space is fine for 6 birds, plenty. The only concern is if you have weather where they would not be able to leave the coop, but it sounds like they will always use the hoop house because it is covered and almost enclosed.
I've had far more birds in the same situation (a good size run and access to the orchard) and they were very productive. I live in an area with four seasons but definitely not as extreme for long periods as the Midwest. Our days are almost always sunny and available for birds to be outdoors. Rarely do we have enough rain for them to be "cooped up" maybe 1-2 days/year.

Trauma is real in the flock, but they will recover, like we all do after a loss. When mine experience a loss, I observe them more frequently, watch for any of them taking out their aggression on others, be sure none a moping in a corner endlessly. Otherwise, I give them time.

I believe your low egg production is due to the time of year. Unless you are living near the equator, these are the shortest days of the year. It is normal for egg production to drop to almost nothing and for birds to molt during this time. If the girls are molting you can try giving them feed with increased protein to help them replace their plumage.
 

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