This is the only space i have, is it going to be enough ?

[Judy]

Quote:
Ooh, I missed the clear roof. I agree, unless it is heavily shaded. Chickens do fine in cold, they have their own down coat, but are not very heat tolerant. 100 degrees F can actually do them in (I'll let you convert.) They need no draft in the cold but breeze in the heat.

 

[kateseidel]

From my perspective, I guess it depends on why you are getting chickens. If you want eggs, you could go with 4 and crowd them in for more quantity. Commercial producers would do just that. If you are getting them as pets, I would not put more than two in there (well, actually, if it were me, I would not keep any animal locked into a space that small except for guinea pigs <g> which I hate anyway!!!) It's a lovely little coop, but it seems like not a very nice life for chickens to be trapped in that space their entire lives. Not sure I understood the greenhouse option, and you can't make the run bigger - but if you are able to let them out safely for a few hours a day, it might make everyone happier.

Mine are definitely of the pet variety - but I have several acres and they free-range during most of the daylight hours.

 

[Chicken.Lytle]

Reg, even one chicken will destroy that space. Consider giving them usable vertical space like perches and platforms. Also, you will have your hands full keeping them from going bonkers with boredom. Suggest you build for experimentation. I had to change my coop a lot as I learned what they liked and what worked for me.

 

[mgw]

I think it would be okay, I have 5 black sex links which are large birds in a 4X4' coop with a 6X8' run and i have had no problems with them at all. Maybe it is cause they were bought as day olds and have always been together. I do have to clean the coop out more often though. I also rake the run out about once a month also. Havnt had any trouble with picking And they have been laying an egg each almost everyday and it has been below freezing most of the winter here.

 

[loot4louie]

I love your coop choice! I have a small coop 3x 6 inside a 5 x 15 run. The chickens can go unger the coop. They are all Orpingtons and they seem extremely happy. I find that they prefer to be in the run and only lay in the coop. They do free range when a dog is out to keep watch or I am home. I do lock my coop at night as we have too may varmin that would find my guys tasty! I am in NJ and my guys suffer more in the heat than the cold. They use the spot under the run extensively! I run a metal prof. grade fan in the summer if over 92 degrees or so, but do nothing in the winter! I raised them as chicks, but not all at the same time. I never let the others get too big before introducing a new group. I would bet you could get 2 w/in a week in age and then add 2 more within a couple weeks. Sounds crazy but I ended up with 1 little lone chick at the end, who was more stressed seperated than integrated so I just sat by my brooder one night and flicked mean older chicks in the nose if they were overly aggressive. That chick ended up being my head boss and never got picked on again! I wish my run was covered. I use tarps in the winter because they hate snow, and I sweep the ground clear for them. I think a pointed roof with open ends would be great for protection and ventilation- kind of like they advertise to cover dog kennels? I also added large stepping stones in my run because it would get soggy with a lot of rain. Now I can walk in without getting muddy feet. I scrape the floor and sweep it when it gets hard packed. It really stays quite clean. Enjoy, I'm sorry I wrote a novel!

I included a pic of my coop and run...I hope
Sarah

 

[elmo]

Quote:
It could get very "interesting" if you take 4 point of lay standard sized hens that are complete strangers to each other and suddenly stick them in the tiny coop/run pictured in the first post. Interesting as in "bloody."

Chickens have a well established social structure every bit as complicated (perhaps even more) than wolf packs. When you force a group of chickens who don't know each other to live together suddenly in a small, enclosed space, they have to work out their pecking order. The way they do that is by confronting and sometimes fighting with each other. If the losers in these battles can't run away (because there's no space), they may get mercilessly pecked by the victors, to the point of blood letting. And when chicken see blood, even on one of their own kind, their predatory instincts can take over. They're modern dinosaurs, after all.

To be perfectly honest, there is no way I would put 4 adult birds who don't already have an established pecking order into a run as small as that. You might be able to take 2 or 3 birds who have grown up together and put them in that run successfully, especially if they're a breed of chicken that tolerates confinement well.

The adage "birds of a feather flock together" is true for chickens. If you do get different breeds, makes sure they're all different so that no bird is the "odd chicken out" in the flock. I was originally going to get three chickens, all different breeds, and this is the advice a very experienced poultry keeping friend gave me. He told me that the singletons he's had in his 20 plus years of keeping chickens always seemed lonely compared to the chickens who've had those of their own kind to flock with.

I ended up getting my original flock from this person as day old chicks, all Serama cross bred bantams. They all look somewhat alike, but I still find watching the flock fascinating because the personalities of each member of the flock is still as individual as a fingerprint.

If you've got limited space, and you're not really that interested in getting chickens for the eggs, consider getting a couple of bantams. You'll still get eggs, but they'll be small, but so will the chicken droppings!

 

[speedy2020]

Reg,
I thought you might want to see this. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=438000

 

[Reg]

Quote:
Blimey

 

[Reg]

Well lots of conflicting feedback.

On my run size 8 x 6 & coop 6 x 3

Some saying no way to small, where as others saying should be ok mine are in same space & I have had no problems.


On my idea of 4 different breeds & placing them in my run at point of lay.

Many say i'm ould be starting world war 3.

& yet again some say they have managed it.


I have decided not to have a clear roof. As the sun could be a problem in the summer.

I did say that from October to March I would open the back of the run so the birds could get into my 8 x 6 green house which would double there run size but do take the point that for 7 months being trapped in a 8 x 6 run could be a bit tight.

I am now thinking that i could set up a mesh fence from time to time on the lawn & let them out for a couple of hours.

As for the different breeds would making 4 meshed lanes in the run so the birds could see each other but no get at each other for the first day help ?

How about If i went for 2 breeds so there was a pair of each, would that help cut down the conflict ?

The venterlation ideas have all been taken on board, so has perches & adding shiny things for them to play with.

Providing good food & keeping them cleaning should not be a problem .

I will be running power to the run so lights & fan would not be a problem.

Cats & foxes are my only preditors here. Cats will stand no chance of getting in the run but could have a go when they are out on lawn. Would a cat attack a chicken ?

Concreate path all round the run so no digging in by foxes. A roof so no jumping in over the top.

Could a fox bite through 1/2 mess ?

Would a fox smash through Green house glass to get to them ?

Interested to here your idea's

Reg

 

[kateseidel]

I'm not sure that the issue is so much different breeds, as it is trying to introduce total stranger hens to each other. I have two breeds, but raised them all from day-old chicks. And even though they don't quarrel, they definitely tend to stay together as breed flocks. The Buff Orpingtons are always together, and those Wyandottes are like their own force of nature. If you could raise them from chicks, it would probably be fine, but I seem to recall you are interested in getting hens at laying age. You can make it work, but the operative word here is probably "work". Two of each sounds like the best of both worlds!

I have big breeds, so no regular cat can take them on, and most sky predators would be hard pressed. It would be great if you could let them into the yard for a few days. Fun for you, fun for the hens!