Small coop and run for one chicken

[Luclin999]

We have just the one hen (who wandered into our yard and adopted us one day) and I want to make sure that she has enough room.

The run I built is 4 feet wide, 8 feet long and 6 feet high. It is an open framed structure, covered with a "roof" of plywood and enclosed with "poultry wire" purchased at Home depot. We have placed her food and water in the run to help teach her that the place is "home".

The coop inside of the run is basically a box 2 feet wide, tall and deep with an opening cut into it so that she can get in and out.

Is this enough room for her in both the house/coop and the run?

Right now we only lock her up in the run at night and let her range about in out back yard by day but there may be days when she would have to stay in the run all day and we want to make sure that it isn't too small for her.

 

[#1California Chick]

Hi

The run is great!!! The Standard is 10 sq feet per chicken. The coop standard is 4 sq feet per chicken.

However, your chicken needs a friend!! Chickens are social animals!! You should have at least two!!

Cindy

 

[SussexInSeattle]

Chickens like to roost up off the ground and they perch on what they can find and seem to sleep hanging on by their feet but bent down over their feet so they stay warm. Is there any way you can enclose one corner of the pen, from ground up to roof on two sides? Then you can mount an old broom handle or buy a dowel at the hardware store and run it from one side of the fence at the corner to the other side, about 4 feet or so high.

Maybe also place her box in this corner as well and this will be her next box where she will lay her eggs. You might put the box up on cinder blocks so it is not sitting right on the ground.

Also, you might buy her two friends just in case one passes away. They will all roost together and just use the box to lay eggs in.

 

[Anny]

You should really consider adopting her at least one little friend. Life as a lonely chicken gets...well lonely.

 

[cmom]

Do you have any kind of a roost in the run? I have a ladder in my run which is covered for my girls.

Click on the images to enlarge.

 

[#1California Chick]

Oh, one other thing! Poultry wire is only good for keeping chickens in, not for keeping predators out!! Dogs or raccoons can go right through it.

Good Luck!

 

[CityChook]

How nice of you to take her in.

The run sounds fine. Is it somewhat predator proof? Like a dog couldn't knock it over and eat her?

And my girls like to roost, but I don't know if a 2x2 box is going to be big enough to add a roost... Whatever - you know what makes her happy.

You might want to check animal rescue (or you could probably even just call animal control for a referral) for a chicken rescue in your area. They are always looking for people to adopt unwanted chickens. The other posters are right, your girl would be happier with a friend.

 

[Luclin999]

I think the problem is that the coop/house itself is too small to put in a perch for her to roost on. I may have to build another one that's a bit larger and build a perch into it.

As to predators, we are in a large subdivision in a very urban part of Houston. The coop/run is in our back yard which has a six foot high wooden fence enclosing it completely. Stray dogs can't get into the yard and I seriously doubt that there are any raccoons within at least a couple of miles from here.

The only predators I am really worried about here are stray cats.

Hopefully I'll have the time to build a slightly larger house for her this weekend, but until then she will just have to get used to being put into the smaller one each night until then.