Size of coop/run

[noconachickenmama]

So, reading about all the coop cleaning stuff and wondering if I really got too many birds....I thought my coop was big but my attached run is small - but plan to let them free-range when grown (they are only about 5 weeks-7 weeks old) I have 10 guineas and 8 chickens. My coop is 8x6 and 6' tall. I attached a predator-proof run that is 10'x10' so they can come out now while young and on days when I can't do the in/out thing. As I mentioned, plan to free-range as adults and put up at night. So far, seems great. I added tree branches for guinea perches inside and out, and 2x4s for the chickens. I also try to give them hay, dust baths, catch them grasshoppers, etc. to give them something to do. Right now it's new so there's even still grass in the run. Coop floor has pine shavings. So far I have added a little fresh twice and plan to clean coop every month. Thoughts? My BF says I have to face reality and realize that if I let them free-range, I won't have 18 birds for long....we live in the country on 17 acres. But we have a donkey and longhorns which help keep coyotes away!

 

[azygous]

Sounds like you're off to a good start. But your friend is right. Predators will get around to noticing you're running a neighborhood meat market, and they will gradually start to pick off your chickens one by one.

I live in the forest and predators abound. Bears, bobcats, mountain lions, skunks, foxes, snakes, weasels. Even snakes. But the worst predator of all is hawks. I've had a hawk dive bomb my chickens standing right at my feet. They come out of nowhere to strafe a chicken that never saw it. I returned from shoveling snow on New Year's Day one year to find a red-tail hawk standing over a young Brahma hen that it had just killed. The hawk looked at me insolently and languidly took off.

I have a secure enclosed and covered run, and my chickens love to free range, but they come back frequently to their run to rest and relax under cover where they know a hawk isn't going to surprise them.

 

[Alaskan]

So, reading about all the coop cleaning stuff and wondering if I really got too many birds....I thought my coop was big but my attached run is small - but plan to let them free-range when grown (they are only about 5 weeks-7 weeks old) I have 10 guineas and 8 chickens. My coop is 8x6 and 6' tall. I attached a predator-proof run that is 10'x10' so they can come out now while young and on days when I can't do the in/out thing. As I mentioned, plan to free-range as adults and put up at night. So far, seems great. I added tree branches for guinea perches inside and out, and 2x4s for the chickens. I also try to give them hay, dust baths, catch them grasshoppers, etc. to give them something to do. Right now it's new so there's even still grass in the run. Coop floor has pine shavings. So far I have added a little fresh twice and plan to clean coop every month. Thoughts? My BF says I have to face reality and realize that if I let them free-range, I won't have 18 birds for long....we live in the country on 17 acres. But we have a donkey and longhorns which help keep coyotes away!

Not sure what your question was?

 

[pennyJo1960]

Yes you have to many birds just now get another coop same size but guineas like to roost out they are a warning system also too many birds that your question ?

 

[feathermaid]

You'll want to make sure you have lots of roosts in that coop so all those birds can fit as adults... allow at least 1 linear foot of roosting space per bird. It may be better to just use your coop as a roosting house where birds only come to sleep or lay eggs, and not keep them locked them inside past dawn. Big troubles can happen when birds are confined in tight quarters, so you may want to roof the run to serve as an extension of the coop for early release and bad weather days. You could then also keep food and water out in the run to free up more coop space. (Of course, the guineas could still end up roosting in the trees later on)

Poop boards under the roosts can make maintenance very easy... just scrape or scoop droppings into a bucket and transfer to compost. Then the floor shavings only need to be completely cleaned out once or twice a year, and that can also be composted as well.

These articles have some very helpful info:

• How Much Room Do Chickens Need
• Key Points to Successful Free Ranging
• Chicken Coop Ventilation - Go Out There And Cut More Holes In Your Coop!

 

[Soy Milano]

Here is a chart which might help with that - http://www.adoptabirdnetwork.com/topics/chicken-space-requirements