Too small of a coop!

[CinnamonQueen12]

We have a 4 by 6 chicken coop. We thought it would work. We only had 6 chickens. The we decided to get 10 and stop there. It seemed like a good idea, too, until our order of 4 baby chicks went down to 2. We had to order three more. Then one of our older chickens died, so we again had 10, until I hatched a deformed chick and 2 roosters. We wanted to keep the roosters because they protect the deformed chick from the older ones. Now we are adopting a 4-week-old from the vets office. Now where does that leave us....? Oh yes, 14 chickens total. Will 12 hens and 2 roos fit comfortably in a 4 by 6 coop? If not, what are some suggestions? (p.s. the shortened version of my life since getting chickens proved that there never is a dull moment with chickens!)

 

[goldies99]

thats a pretty tight fit.....guess you need a bigger coop or less chickens!!!...just having 6 chickens in that size coop was probably just right

 

[tsmith1499]

I have a 8x8 coop and am only planning on having 8-10 total in mine.

 

[Olive Hill]

At 4 sq ft per bird minimum a 4x6 coop (24 sq foot) should hold no more than 6 chickens.

There are exceptions to the rule, but the smaller coops -- such as a 4x6 -- hardly ever really "qualify" for those exceptions. I would definitely either build another coop or cull some chickens.

 

[CarolJ]

You can always add a larger run to the coop you already have. Chickens kinda pile up to sleep anyway - whether they're on the roost or sleeping on the floor. But they need more room to roam around during the day.

 

[Zonoma]

Quote:
I have a 12 x 14 sheltered (but not covered) run attached to my 4x6 coop in addition to the covered area directly beneath the coop itself. This works for my flock of 12 LF and 5 bantam birds. I have no issues with feather picking or mean-ness. When we are all outside, they get to free-range. I think that helps a lot, too. Also, I don't keep my water or feed in the coop. It is strictly a Ft Knox shelter/roost/egg box.

 

[CinnamonQueen12]

Well our run is more than 24x12(and i mean like several feet more than. 24x12 is a rough estimation from a few months ago before we extended the area several feet) our coop was prebuilt when we bought it but if anyone can give us tips on how to extend a premade coop without damaging anything...

btw, this is what our coop looks like---> http://www.hunterdonmill.com/images/Cupola/4x6chicken-coop.jpg

 

[CinnamonQueen12]

Is there any way to build on to a premade coop?

 

[conny63malies]

chicken math!!! make a bigger coop and buy more chicks for the old coop.

 

[teach1rusl]

There are always ways to build on to a coop, even a premade one, as long as you are handy enough and have decent tools to get the job done. In your situation, I tend to agree with the poster who suggested building a bigger coop (or buying a shed and converting) or another coop, and just using two coops.
Most on here suggest around 4 sq. ft of indoor space, at least if you're in an area that experiences snows in winter time. But the smallest amount of space I've read of people using (mostly in areas that don't get winters, and therefore the birds are ONLY inside for roosting) is 2 sq. ft. per bird, and your current coop doesn't even offer that. Because of how narrow your current coop is, I'm not even sure how you'd manage 14 ft. of roost space...???
You're in good company with being in this situation at least...lol...as chicken math catches up with a lot of folks real quick.