The coop size is fine for nights. If they are cooped up in it too much though, it won't be enough space. For half the birds? Better, yes, but as others have said, it will get too hot in most parts of this country at that time of year. Most chickens are actually more cold hardy than heat hardy. In summer they sit around in the shade panting a lot. I freeze a 1-gallon milk container that is mostly full of water, until it is solid ice. Then early afternoon I take it out of the freezer, put the whole container in their water bowl, and that provides them with cool water for the rest of the day. I had to take an out of town trip last summer that was not even an overnight - just a day trip - and I was concerned enough about them I asked my neighbor to come up the street, take the frozen container out of the freezer and add it to the water for them ('course it was going to be 105 that day but even so....)
The other thing is that even if it weren't the heat, chickens go through a LOT of water. You'll be surprised how much. I guess it takes a lot of water to make all those egg whites. For that number of chickens, for that period of time you would want to have a pretty fail safe method of ensuring they don't run out of water. Honestly, I would try to set up auto feeder/waterer in addition to having someone come check on them daily. The less that person has to do, the better. Do you have a neighbor who could come let them out in the morning and lock the coop door after dark for you, in return for any eggs that are deposited in the nest boxes during the day?
Oh, one other thing. The person I got my chicken coop from several years ago, gave up keeping chickens after a summer incident. One day she forgot to open the coop door in the morning. They were all dead by evening from the heat. I still cringe every time I think of that because it seems to me to be an awful way to go.
The other thing is that even if it weren't the heat, chickens go through a LOT of water. You'll be surprised how much. I guess it takes a lot of water to make all those egg whites. For that number of chickens, for that period of time you would want to have a pretty fail safe method of ensuring they don't run out of water. Honestly, I would try to set up auto feeder/waterer in addition to having someone come check on them daily. The less that person has to do, the better. Do you have a neighbor who could come let them out in the morning and lock the coop door after dark for you, in return for any eggs that are deposited in the nest boxes during the day?
Oh, one other thing. The person I got my chicken coop from several years ago, gave up keeping chickens after a summer incident. One day she forgot to open the coop door in the morning. They were all dead by evening from the heat. I still cringe every time I think of that because it seems to me to be an awful way to go.
