Suggestions?

[lilmidtown]

have 6 barred rock chicks, 2 buff orpington rir mix chicks and 6 ducklings and 15 more chicks due to hatch in 6 days. I have 2 full grown 1 roo 1 hen in a coop that's decent sized .

1 how big should the coop e for all the chickens and how many boxes

2 I don't have much money to spend

3 any blueprints ideas will be appreciated ill post pics of my existing coop

 

[lilmidtown]

 

[lilmidtown]

 

[lilmidtown]

 

[lilmidtown]

 

[lilmidtown]

Anyone ??

 

[biophiliac]

Rule of thumb for 25 chickens x 4 sq = 100 sq ft for the coop and about 250(10 per bird) sq ft for the run. I see snow on the ground, so plan for bad weather in winter when your birds will stay inside more. I only have 4 hens right now and i fell their 4.5 x 9.5 is barely big enough in winter, BUT with more birds your 'economies of scale' kick in as they have more room to get away from each other. I'm jealous of your coop, wish mine was that big

. Browsing the threads in the coop & run section will get you some advice from the more experienced BYC folks. Sorry, no experience w/ducklings.
If you are looking for roost ideas, PD-riverman has a good one for a flock your size.

 

[lilmidtown]

Rule of thumb for 25 chickens x 4 sq = 100 sq ft for the coop and about 250(10 per bird) sq ft for the run. I see snow on the ground, so plan for bad weather in winter when your birds will stay inside more. I only have 4 hens right now and i fell their 4.5 x 9.5 is barely big enough in winter, BUT with more birds your 'economies of scale' kick in as they have more room to get away from each other. I'm jealous of your coop, wish mine was that big

. Browsing the threads in the coop & run section will get you some advice from the more experienced BYC folks. Sorry, no experience w/ducklings.
If you are looking for roost ideas, PD-riverman has a good one for a flock your size.

thank you for the help how many chickens do you think I can fit into my existing coop I'm adding on to it and making a big run

 

[biophiliac]

How many you can fit depends alot on your goals and how you manage your birds. Just layers?, Meat birds? Brooding babies? The more room you allow per bird - the easier to manage. The less room per bird - more care and expertise required IMO. My first birds just became hens, one yr old

so i'm no expert yet! I'm surprised you haven't recieved more responses. How big is your current coop? There is a thread called: Is there such a thing as too much room?....check out some of the advice on there? also @PD-Riverman has some good advice for housing 20+ birds. Good Luck!

I can say from my own experience that enclosing the outside run with plastic sheeting to cut the wind and throwing down something on top of the snow allowed my girls to be outside almost everyday all winter.

 

[biophiliac]

You have 2 adult birds and a bunch of babies, right? Are you thinking of brooding the babies in the coop? Is there electricity access for the coop? Have you seen the MHP - Mama Heating Pad method....so much nicer and safer than heat lamps?
PS Your rooster will probably be just tickled to see his flock grow so suddenly!