So, my run stinks. literally.

[LaFleche]

there are a lot of problems with my run, and especially my coop. me and my brother are the only chicken-lovers in the family. i can't really afford all of this, and i am trying to be budget friendly, but apparently there's no going there. if i let them free- range, there are a lot of "sanitation issues" according to everyone i've talked to. i am thinking about just letting them free- range despite all of this and "we'll burn that bridge when we get there"

i think i sound like a horrible person for keeping 13 birds in there. i will lengthen their pen the best i can, with what i got.

With money being tight and no help available, to me the best solution to your problem would be for you and your brother to each pick two hens (the ones you like best) and sell the rest of them as soon as possible.

Your hens are suffering. If you keep this situation going on much longer, they will get serious health issues and even die or turn on each other and develop cannibalism, the already shown feather plucking being the first step.

Just remember that in the future, whenever your finances and situation will allow you to provide a proper chicken coop and run, you can always have more hens.

 

[3KillerBs]

the coop is about 1 x 4 feet. very small, but most of them sleep on the top of the coop regardless.

This is not a coop. It's not even a dollhouse prefab. It's a kitchen cupboard.

4 square feet? per hen? are we talking about the run, or the coop?

that's like a chicken mansion! holy

ten? ten square feet? per hen? i might as well let them free range!

No, that is not a mansion, it's a minimum for proper health and the avoidance of behavioral problems.

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need at least:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

Over time on these forums I've found that the vast majority of issues people have with health problems, behavioral problems, and/or sanitation problems can be traced to either over-crowding and/or bad ventilation.

You didn't know any better, but what you're trying to do is like keeping a dog shut up in your bedroom closet.

This is a coop that meets all the minimums for 4 hens: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/

When used as a coop, my brooder meets the minimums for 8 hens: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/run-to-outdoor-brooder-conversion.76634/ (This article also shows a low-tech, budget-friendly conversion).

For 12 chickens you would need:

• 48 square feet in the coop. 6'x8' is more practical than 4'x12' since a long, skinny coop like that would be difficult to work inside.
• 12 feet of roost
• 120 square feet in the run. 10'x12' or 8'x15' -- 8'x16' means fewer odd cuts than either of those. 6'x20' is possible, especially if your run is an open-topped, fenced area instead of fully-enclosed with a solid and/or wire roof but risks social problems because subordinate hens need to be able to pass the dominant hens at a respectful distance.
• 12 square feet of ventilation.
• 3 nest boxes.

if you can’t afford to do that, then you can’t really afford to keep 13+ chickens.

the best move, for both you and the birds, might be to sell/rehome them and recoup some costs, then try this all again when you can afford to properly care for chickens.

With money being tight and no help available, to me the best solution to your problem would be for you and your brother to each pick two hens (the ones you like best) and sell the rest of them as soon as possible.

Your hens are suffering. If you keep this situation going on much longer, they will get serious health issues and even die or turn on each other and develop cannibalism, the already shown feather plucking being the first step.

I have to agree with this.

Treat this as a learning experience. Do the conversion, sell the extra birds, and save up money to expand your facilities to enable you to keep your birds in a physically and mentally healthy and sanitary way.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

What @3KillerBs says is right on. Think about it. If you wanted a goldfish, you would first get a bowl, right? If you wanted tropical fish, you understand much more is needed. Bigger tank, filter, aerator, light, yada yada. You can't keep tropical fish like a goldfish. You have to plan, learn and prepare. Frankly, you got ahead of yourself here. I have to agree with what the others are saying. For the sake of the chickens, rehome them. Then plan and build for the number of chickens you plan to have. And once your setup is complete, THEN add the chickens. It's the kindest, and frankly, the humane thing to do.

 

[NatJ]

Hey! i got an idea! what if i turn my pen into a coop? i put straw down, cover the top and sides, and put in plywood for roosts? would that work?

Yes, that basic idea would probably work.
For bedding, straw can work. But so can wood chips, or sawdust, or dry leaves. Use what you can get-- a mixture of materials if often better then just one kind.

For roosts, I agree with the people who recommend 2x2 lumber (just use sandpaper to round the edges a little so they are not sharp.) Tree branches about that thickness could also work well.

For covering the top and sides of your pen: yes, cover the top. But only cover one or two of the sides (the ones where most wind comes from.) The other sides should just be hardware cloth, or wire fencing, or something of the sort (try for something that predators cannot reach through or rip apart. Chicken wire usually doesn't work well.)

For pen size: I know many people say 4 square feet per chicken in the coop and 10 square feet per chicken in the run. But if you just have one space (current pen, plus roof, plus something to block wind on a few sides), you should be fine with 10 square feet per chicken and you can ignore the "coop" part of the usual advice.

i think their run is big enough, but their coop is an absolute no.

the coop is about 1 x 4 feet. very small, but most of them sleep on the top of the coop regardless.

That will probably make a fine nestbox where they can lay their eggs. I agree with you, it is not nearly big enough to be a good coop for this many chickens.

california. northern

*edit* United states

it's fall, late fall. it's cold and wet, but it never snows. it is getting very windy, and i really should pay attention to the temperature.

Temperature: chickens do fine even when temperatures go below freezing. So if you never find ice in their water, that proves the temperature is warm enough, and you don't have to worry about it.

They do need protection from wet and wind, but a roof takes care of most of that, and covering one or two sides of their pen should take care of the rest.

then i will work on an entertainment system so they don't start plucking each other bald.

Chickens seem happiest when they spend their time scratching for things to eat, taking dust baths and naps, preening their feathers, and sitting on perches to watch what's happening.

So for entertainment, I would mostly focus on getting the wet ground sorted out (roof to keep out rain, adding bedding they can scratch through). If you add roosts for them to use at night, they can sit up there during the day as well.

More space really helps, so making their space bigger will do more good than most other kinds of "entertainment" you could provide. You could give things to go under and around and sit on top of, but I would just use whatever you already have that chickens are allowed to poop on: maybe a stump, or a chair or table that would otherwise get thrown away.

if i let them free- range, there are a lot of "sanitation issues" according to everyone i've talked to.

Is that a polite way of saying they poop everywhere, and people don't like it? Because for the chickens, it is more "sanitary" to have their droppings scattered all around the area, instead of all together in their pen.

i will lengthen their pen the best i can, with what i got.

That sounds like a good start!

rehoming is a last resort

i never expected 13 chickens

Since you didn't expect this many chickens, I suggest thinking about how many you DO want to have, and then do what it takes to get down to whatever number you think is right.

Rehoming chickens is usually cheaper than making pens bigger, and is often faster as well.

 

[RosemaryDuck]

What @3KillerBs says is right on. Think about it. If you wanted a goldfish, you would first get a bowl, right? If you wanted tropical fish, you understand much more is needed. Bigger tank, filter, aerator, light, yada yada. You can't keep tropical fish like a goldfish. You have to plan, learn and prepare. Frankly, you got ahead of yourself here. I have to agree with what the others are saying. For the sake of the chickens, rehome them. Then plan and build for the number of chickens you plan to have. And once your setup is complete, THEN add the chickens. It's the kindest, and frankly, the humane thing to do.

I know this is completely off topic, but just wanted to add that even normal, run of the mill goldfish require at least 20-30 gallons of water (for 1 fish) to thrive. Fish bowls really shouldn't be sold anymore for anything except moss balls and shrimps.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I know this is completely off topic, but just wanted to add that even normal, run of the mill goldfish require at least 20-30 gallons of water (for 1 fish) to thrive. Fish bowls really shouldn't be sold anymore for anything except moss balls and shrimps.

Thanks for this. I was just trying to make a point. Last time I had goldfish, there were three of them and they lived in my horse tank. They got as big as my fist.

 

[The WinterWolf]

Yes, that basic idea would probably work.
For bedding, straw can work. But so can wood chips, or sawdust, or dry leaves. Use what you can get-- a mixture of materials if often better then just one kind.

For roosts, I agree with the people who recommend 2x2 lumber (just use sandpaper to round the edges a little so they are not sharp.) Tree branches about that thickness could also work well.

For covering the top and sides of your pen: yes, cover the top. But only cover one or two of the sides (the ones where most wind comes from.) The other sides should just be hardware cloth, or wire fencing, or something of the sort (try for something that predators cannot reach through or rip apart. Chicken wire usually doesn't work well.)

For pen size: I know many people say 4 square feet per chicken in the coop and 10 square feet per chicken in the run. But if you just have one space (current pen, plus roof, plus something to block wind on a few sides), you should be fine with 10 square feet per chicken and you can ignore the "coop" part of the usual advice.




That will probably make a fine nestbox where they can lay their eggs. I agree with you, it is not nearly big enough to be a good coop for this many chickens.



Temperature: chickens do fine even when temperatures go below freezing. So if you never find ice in their water, that proves the temperature is warm enough, and you don't have to worry about it.

They do need protection from wet and wind, but a roof takes care of most of that, and covering one or two sides of their pen should take care of the rest.


Chickens seem happiest when they spend their time scratching for things to eat, taking dust baths and naps, preening their feathers, and sitting on perches to watch what's happening.

So for entertainment, I would mostly focus on getting the wet ground sorted out (roof to keep out rain, adding bedding they can scratch through). If you add roosts for them to use at night, they can sit up there during the day as well.

More space really helps, so making their space bigger will do more good than most other kinds of "entertainment" you could provide. You could give things to go under and around and sit on top of, but I would just use whatever you already have that chickens are allowed to poop on: maybe a stump, or a chair or table that would otherwise get thrown away.



Is that a polite way of saying they poop everywhere, and people don't like it? Because for the chickens, it is more "sanitary" to have their droppings scattered all around the area, instead of all together in their pen.


That sounds like a good start!



Since you didn't expect this many chickens, I suggest thinking about how many you DO want to have, and then do what it takes to get down to whatever number you think is right.

Rehoming chickens is usually cheaper than making pens bigger, and is often faster as well.

well, they have always gone and pooped on my front porch. and everybody invite over freaks out like the end of the world when there's 1 piece of poop. that's why their penned up, is because of their poop. i let them out sometimes, and they immediately go out to poop on the porch

 

[DickMidnight]

well, they have always gone and pooped on my front porch. and everybody invite over freaks out like the end of the world when there's 1 piece of poop. that's why their penned up, is because of their poop. i let them out sometimes, and they immediately go out to poop on the porch

well, that’s a fair complaint.

if i go over someone’s house i don’t want to step in crap when im trying to get inside.

 

[The WinterWolf]

i let them out today, and everybody is yelling at me to put them back in. i will let them do it their self if they want them in so bad. (and then let them out again)

 

[HumbleAmerican]

well, that’s a fair complaint.

if i go over someone’s house i don’t want to step in crap when im trying to get inside.

If people come to my house and complain about chicken crap on my porch….. they can leave.

Same with pet hair. If they don’t want pet hair on them, stay off the couch.