Six Blue Maran Chicks and Tractor Supply Producer's Pride Sentinel Coop

[SaltyOldDog]

So here I am with six growing like weeds Blue Maran Chicks and my chicken coop from Tractor Supply arrived. The driver was nice enough to put it in my back yard for me. I'm rather disabled so this was a wonderful thing. On this past Wednesday I started putting it together and then the fight started.

Just kidding but not quite.

We were talked into this coop with the words from Tractor Supply's staff "Oh... six chickens will do fine in this coop. Look the website says six chickens." Indeed a piece of cardboard cable tied to one of the parts says "up to six chickens."

I measured the coop and the dimensions I came up with were 32 inches by 36 inches and did the math and I come up with 8 square feet. Doing some research I find opinions for "square foot space for chickens" ranging from 1 sq foot per chicken for smaller breeds to 3 square foot for larger breeds. (feel free to correct as these are my first chickens ever).

It would seem to me this coop is rather small... what say the experienced chicken owners?

We are on the verge of taking the darn coop back and getting our money back.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Yes. Factory coops are usually maxed out at half what they claim or 80% of what they claim if you have bantams

 

[The Moonshiner]

Is it this one?

 

[aart]

(feel free to correct as these are my first chickens ever).

Standard response here on BYC is 4sqft in coop and 10 sqft in run.
Minimum IMO.
Much depends on your climate.

We are on the verge of taking the darn coop back and getting our money back.

Do it if you can.
It will also be hard to maintain if you are disabled.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Unfortunately, I've found from my experiences (at several TSC locations over the years) that few of the staff - even in the rural area that I live in - don't have much expertise with farm animals.

The coops sold there that I have seen are not built to last (or keep predators out for long). I saw one last "chick season" that was already falling apart just from being out in the elements on display.

x2 on returning the coop if at all possible and getting a roomier, better-built home for your poultry...chicken math happens, so it's wise to plan for the future.

 

[saysfaa]

Yes, return it. The one to three square foot per chicken assumes you do things like debeak them, put in high powered ventilation systems, cage them individually and such. Or that you use that space for only sleeping ... that you never have weather or predators or need to treat them for illness for injury or repair a run fence or any such thing that would cause you to keep them in it for a few days. The people recommending these square feet numbers don't usually know these numbers assume this. They looked it up too.

 

[aart]

Unfortunately, I've found from my experiences (at several TSC locations over the years) that few of the staff - even in the rural area that I live in - have much expertise with farm animals.

Did you mean DON'T have much expertise?

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Did you mean DON'T have much expertise?

I sure did. Editing to correct!

 

[SaltyOldDog]

Well the coop went back and now I'm trying to figure out how to make a good coop myself, which is what (in spite of disabilities) I wanted to do in the first place. If I have my way it will be the world's first fully ADA compliant chicken coop.

If my wife has her way it will look like this:

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Looking forward to seeing the build! I think you (and your chickens) will be much happier with a higher-quality coop. Wishing you the best!