Stressed chicken

[Jverdian]

They are only there for sleep, where they huddle closely together, 2 close together on a perch and 4 huddled together on a lower perch in the corner. They’re out all day in their huge run.

 

[3KillerBs]

They are only there for sleep, where they huddle closely together, 2 close together on a perch and 4 huddled together on a lower perch in the corner. They’re out all day in their huge run.

From an article I'm writing:

But I free range/have a huge run and my chickens only use the coop to sleep and lay eggs! Why do I need all that space inside?​

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You might not. As I've said, these are guidelines, not hard-and-fast rules.​

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If you never close the pop door so that your coop and run function together as a fully integrated system that is the equivalent of a huge, open-air coop, then your flock might be just fine for years, even decades.​

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If you are always out there to open the pop door at the crack of dawn or you have an ultra-reliable automatic door so that your chickens never lack access to their free range territory during the daylight hours, then your flock might be just fine for years, even decades.​

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If you live in a mild climate where chickens can always go out into their run/range and are never kept in by snow or storms, then your flock might be just fine for decades. People who keep chickens in places with tropical and subtropical climates do successfully go without a coop at all, just offering a covered roost and some nestboxes.​

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But when something happens ...​

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When a determined predator moves in and breaks through the fencing so that you have to confine the flock to the coop itself so that you can fix the run,​

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When an extreme weather event prevents your chickens from leaving shelter for days,​

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When an emergency calls you out of town and you can't find someone willing to be there at the crack of dawn to open the pop door,​

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Then you could have a mess on your hands.​

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Which brings us back to the issue of flexibility and options. Any time you push a system hard against it's limits you have to count on everything remaining stable -- exactly as it is without any changes. How well that's likely to work depends on your specific circumstances. You may never encounter an unfortunate circumstance -- some people DO hit the lottery, after all. ​

 

[Jverdian]

Great points here! Thanks, this is very insightful. I can see how this applies, specifically the extreme weather event in this case. It was a record-shattering, once-in-twenty-years snowstorm and we were away on vacation for the first couple days with a caretaker coming who could barely get in and out. I know they were stressed being inside a small space for several days, obviously especially Marigold. Now I’m just trying to nurture her back to her previous good health. I’m not going to get a new coop though because this is such a rare occurrence. I do have a second, older coop on the property and perhaps in a confining snowstorm situation could divide them up for space. There’s an idea. Maybe supplements and extra protein will help Marigold for now. Rooster-booster, perhaps?