Small Coop

[Creteloc]

I've gotten such good advice on these forums, but I have yet another.

My chicken coop is tiny (ranked at 6 chicken but I think it's cozy for my 3). Then I have a 10 ft run out in front of it. So my question is... the chickens are locked in the coop from dusk to dawn, in the winter, that can be 12 hours. That leaves them without any water for long periods of time. However, there's no room for a watering container in their coop. The only reason they have water right now is I put their watering bucket in their nesting box (they don't need it yet).

How do those of you with smaller coops water your chickens during those long winter nights? Also, to fill the water I have to remove the roof. This weekend, I'm moving their water out into the run with a de-icer.

 

[Pyxis]

You should not have the coop you're using with the situations you described. If your birds are getting locked in the coop for 12 hours a day, they should have at least 4 square feet of space each, and that's the bare minimum. That would be equivalent to something AT LEAST 3 feet by 4 feet, and that kind of space could easily fit in a waterer, so I can surmise that you don't have that kind of space like you should. What are the dimensions of your coop?

How big is this run? You say 10 feet, is that square feet or the length of one of the sides? If it's the length of one of the sides, what's the length of the other side?

I guess the answer to your question about what people with small coops do is that people should not have a coop that small to begin with. You should really try to upgrade before winter. Maybe check craigslist; a lot of people are selling off their coops this time of year after deciding not to keep chickens through the winter.

Birds that are forced together in too close quarters for too long, like the 12 hours a day you describe, will start pecking each other, ripping each other's feathers out, fighting, maybe even cannibalizing each other. That's why they cut hen's beaks short in battery cage farming operations.

 

[DIGGIN CHICKEN]

Don't you have a barn, garage or out building.... line a section with hay bales built up and make a temporary coop in doors ...keep them nice and snugg .. may prevent the water from freezing too fast ! even outside ... stack hay bales 3 feet high and cover it with a sheet of ply ...

 

[junebuggena]

Once they go to roost for the night, they don't eat or drink till they come down in the morning. So it doesn't really matter if there is food and water in there or not. They won't be consuming any of it till daylight anyways.
The bigger concerns with tiny, prefab coops is crowding and lack of ventilation. The capacities are grossly overstated and based on commercial chicken industry requirements. The general guideline for backyard flock keepers is about 4 sq ft of floor space per bird. As for ventilation, the coop should have at least 1 sq ft of permanent ventilation per bird, which is impossible to achieve without exposing birds to drafts in such small coops.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I did some digging and found the coop the OP is using in their other thread.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DLE5H72/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1#Ask

It is very very small. The company lists it as 75x26x46 inches.
Looking at the companies pictures of it that 75 includes the run and nest boxes. The coop portion looks to be about 2 feet each direction.

Holy cramp! That is not even big enough for one bird!

Now all is not lost!
Many people who have bought coops like this end up modifying it so the entire thing is the coop. Adding even plywood around the outside and roosts in the "run" tuns it into a more functional coop. Then a new larger run needs to be created. Many people use a dog kennel made of panels commonly sold at Home Depot. Just be sure to put a lid on it and add hardware cloth.
I did see mention of a heat lamp in the other postings.
In that coop there is absolutely no way for the birds to get away from the heat. Sleeping chickens are really catatonic. They will literally fry (die) if a heat lamp is used in that tight of a space.

Sorry but your coop is simply to small. I recommend upgrading ASAP. I believe craigslist was mentioned as a place to find a larger coop.

 

[Creteloc]

Ok, this is great information. BTW, their run is 7ft x 40" and I attached it to the coop. The heater is temporary. I'm working it down 10 degrees a week because Utah went from 70 degrees to 30 too quickly. The temp now goes on at 40 and off at 50. Next week it goes down to 30/40 and then it'll be off.

So if I enclose their entire cook (the one pictures from Amazon) and take off the door, that'd do?

 

[21hens-incharge]

Think about several things before starting....

How to clean it out

Ventilation is critical
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop.47774/

They will need a roost in the newly enclosed space

I think your run is still a bit small for 3 birds. RIR tend to be dominant and viewed as aggressive in confinement. You will at the very least need to keep a close eye on that to avoid serious injury to your more docile EE.

 

[aart]

How do those of you with smaller coops water your chickens during those long winter nights?

What is your general geographical location?