tight fit in coop

[hemet dennis]

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the one i put in the first pic. is 5ft x 4 ft. the second one is 4ft x 4ft and has 8 chickens so why do you think you can only have 4 ?

 

[jgaepi]

Thanks for the info on posting pix. Here it goes. Hopefully it works:

 

[hemet dennis]

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where you live you can put 6 in there easy

 

[sourland]

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With a 100 sq ft run and warm weather you might get by with such a set-up as long as the predators leave you alone.

 

[teach1rusl]

In a year round warm weather area (not dealing with ice/snow), I would consider 2 sq. ft per bird. But that coop is only around 7 sq. ft (by the way, it's very cute!). Unless your run is maximum security - welded wire, roofed in wire as well, skirt, etc. - you'll need to shut your pop door each evening. When they're packed in there, you have to get outside really early to open that pop door each day, or you're gonna' see a lot of negative behaviors (as mentioned by others) due to crowding issues. So you'll want to consider that. When it comes down to it, if you want to cram 7 birds in there you could; factory farms only give about a foot per bird. But as a back yarder, I'd presume you want better quality of life than that...

 

[jgaepi]

Teach1rus,

Obviously, but I cannot go back in time now. Chicks are on their way and coop is in the backyard. Dumb question, but do the birds sleep on the inside perches during the night?

I will take another measurement just to make sure I am totally sure of what I am talking about. Is it a space issue or a heat issue? It has a welded wire floor so the poop will fall through.

 

[hemet dennis]

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if you have more then one you will need to leave the door open and have a secure run and if you have more then is comfortable to fit in the coop some will sleep outside sometimes you will even find that one does not like to sleep inside and may sleep on the roof with your set up don't worry about 5 chickens

 

[ZombieChickens]

My first coop was an insulated doghouse. I had 5 birds in it, and eventually a 6th. They were a happy healthy bunch in there. Not "ideal", but it worked. Then I came across an abandoned playhouse. Brought it home (free

) and got 3 more girls to put in it. Your birds will be fine.

 

[peterlund]

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this shows 6 but there is 2 more not in the pic. and they all do fine

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/111392_imag04232.jpg

I AGREE they love to be tucked in tight to sleep... maybe a bit more space to the run, but the highest perch (even if it is the smallest) has all my birds squished onto it....

 

[teach1rusl]

Quote:
if you have more then one you will need to leave the door open and have a secure run and if you have more then is comfortable to fit in the coop some will sleep outside sometimes you will even find that one does not like to sleep inside and may sleep on the roof with your set up don't worry about 5 chickens

It's not a heat issue in your area - it's a space issue. If your pop door is left open, no big deal, assuming there's enough roost space in there. As soon as it's light they can just hop down and go outside. But to leave a pop door open assumes that your run is extremely secure, as I mentioned before: Is it built of welded wire? Does it have a roof, whether solid or welded wire? Have measures been taken to insure an animal can't dig under the run walls, such as buried wire or skirt, etc.? Because if the pop door is left open all night for the chickens to come and go, then it also allows nocturnal predators to come and go for a midnight snack, and I'm not talking about the chicken feed.

But most people who don't have secure runs, and many that do, still shut their pop doors at night, just to take every measure possible to keep their chickens safe. In a roomy coop, if the chickens have been up an hour or two before you get out there to open the pop door, it's not such a big deal, as the chickens still have space to move about. But in a coop that tiny with that many birds, you're going to have to be out there early every day to open it up for them, because there is no space to walk around in there for that number of birds. See what I'm saying...??

And yes, to be safe, your birds should sleep inside each night, and they always (other than some silkies) prefer roosts... Some folks in mild areas do build more open air type coops - where the run/housing are kind of combined (has a solid roof for weather protection, but is mostly wire all the way around). But those pen type coops are generally built VERY securely, small welded wire to prevent reach-ins, etc.