What do I do if my parents don't think my chickens need more space but they do?

[Jenna14Chicken]

Hey everyone, we just got 6 new chicks because 4 of ours died. So now we have 8 chickens, 2 grown and 6,,6 week olds. My parents plan is to add these new chicks in with the old 2. So we have been using the playpen method without a playpen. Well once we add the new chicks in with the old two they will not have enough space to sleep, run, eat & drink, etc. Inside. They have plenty of room outside but they are only aloud out in the one part of the coop when we are home and we are never home. This is because there is no roof on the other part and we don't have a rooster so predators can easily get in. (We learned that the hard way) But the problem is my chickens do not have enough space and my parents don't believe me they won't give them any more space even though we have more room.WHAT DO I DO? I WORRIED FOR THE CHICKENS

 

[1muttsfan]

How much coop space do they have in feet?

And even with a rooster the predators could get your birds in an unprotected run - most predators are a lot tougher than a rooster.

 

[Jenna14Chicken]

Yes I agree but I would be able to free range if I had a rooster. I'm not sure how much feet the coop is but if you no how much they need I would be glad to no just so I can see how much more space I need. I will measure when I get the time I have a very busy schedule right now. Thanks for replying

 

[hellbender]

You could cull the lesser members of the flock 'til you are able to prepare for more birds.

 

[Jenna14Chicken]

Noooooooooooooo I would never cull any of my birds never ever I love them all so much and it was a very very very hard time when I lost some birds you don't understand how sad I was

 

[bobbi-j]

"Cull" does not necessarily mean "kill". It simply means to remove from the flock. If your chickens are showing signs of overcrowding (bullying, feather picking, cannibalism to name a few) the best thing for them would be for you to reduce their numbers - cull a few. Sell them, or give them to a fellow 4Her maybe. Sometimes the kindest thing for our animals is the hardest thing for us.

 

[centrarchid]

Time to supply some hard facts about the coop. What are its dimensions. The discussion without such is approaching pointless.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hey everyone, we just got 6 new chicks because 4 of ours died. So now we have 8 chickens, 2 grown and 6,,6 week olds. My parents plan is to add these new chicks in with the old 2. So we have been using the playpen method without a playpen. Well once we add the new chicks in with the old two they will not have enough space to sleep, run, eat & drink, etc. Inside. They have plenty of room outside but they are only aloud out in the one part of the coop when we are home and we are never home. This is because there is no roof on the other part and we don't have a rooster so predators can easily get in. (We learned that the hard way) But the problem is my chickens do not have enough space and my parents don't believe me they won't give them any more space even though we have more room.WHAT DO I DO? I WORRIED FOR THE CHICKENS

Hi.

First, you should consider the consequences before you make decisions like If you LOVE your chicks so much why did you not consider their space first? Or I am guessing maybe that's where the predator comes in? Sorry for your loss. What kind of predators? Did you not present your parents with the facts before getting approval for the birds? Basically you only have 2 birds than you did before. So either you didn't communicate well or had a misunderstanding about what was going to take place. Either way

The general rule is 4 square feet in the coop and 10 square feet of enclosed space per bird MINIMUM when grown.

I free range with no rooster and have for years. I haven't had any losses yet, but I will. My neighbor lost her rooster to a hawk a couple weeks ago, her hens all made it. So even a rooster is no assurance and is a loss to the flock if it happens and a good 1 may be less easily replaced than a hen. It's a personal choice. I do however have dogs, That probably does help assuming they don't cause the problem themselves. Some breeds are better at it than others (chickens free ranging).

Maybe you need to get rid of some. Or you might consider something cheap to cover the other roof. Like some deer netting. It will work and is $18 for a roll 100 feet by 7 feet on Amazon. That's for aerial predators. So as mentioned before, more information is needed to truly give you helpful advise.

Kids could be doing a lot worse than trying to talk their parents into more space for their chickens. Good for you! Just remember to think ahead next time since their life is counting on you.

Good luck with your flock!

 

[1muttsfan]

Time to supply some hard facts about the coop. What are its dimensions. The discussion without such is approaching pointless.

X2

 

[aart]

Quote: X3