How Many chickens Can This House ?Trying to delete

Nyboy

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LARGE DELUXE 98" Rabbit Hutch Chicken Coop w Two Wheels

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digitS'

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Consider it a minimum and realize that the authors are likely including daily free-ranging time. (Rob @Nifty can comment ;))

Gardening with Free-Range Chickens For Dummies
By Bonnie Jo Manion, Robert T. Ludlow

Suggested Space Requirements for Chicken Coops and Outside Pens

Large Chickens (standard)
  • Coop Space Requirement 2 square feet per bird
  • Outside Pen Space Requirement 8 to 10 square feet per bird
Bantam Chickens
  • Coop Space Requirement 1 square foot per bird
  • Outside Pen Space Requirement 4 square feet per bird


digitS'
 
digitS'

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If you want to delete that initial post,

you could just edit out whatever you don't want there.

Or, @Nifty might show up and buy us all one of those :D

Steve
 
Ridgerunner

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Steve, those space requirements assume that the outside space is always available. Will it be in winter in New York? That enclosed section is only about 3' x 3' if you exclude nests. With nests it's about 3x4, but do you want them spending time in the nests and pooping? My chickens would eventually go out walking in snow but if it snowed overnight and they woke up to a white world it might take two or three days before they would go outside. If a cold wind was blowing they would not go outside even if there was no snow. That is not much space for chickens to spend locked up for days on end in winter.

Alex, it shows one roost 3' long. You are talking bantams, six might be able to crowd on that but that would be a little tight. Best I can tell the roost is not higher than the nests. That means there is a fair chance they would spread out and sleep in the nests. They poop a lot when they sleep. Do you want poopy eggs? You want the roosts to be noticeably higher than the nests.

The only ventilation I see Is that slide above the nests. That's not much and it can let in rain and snow. Ventilation is pretty important, in the winter as well as summer. Moisture build-up in winter can lead to frostbite. In summer you need to keep it cool in there. At least that slide area has wire across it to keep climbing predators out. Looking closer it might have a ridge vent. That would be a lot better, probably OK.

The fir wood is good, it's rot resistant. It would be better if they said heart of fir but you can only expect so much. Look at the paint job, the knots are showing through. Would you be OK with that or would you need to repaint.

Where are you going to feed and water, in the enclosed coop section or in the run outside? If you feed and/or water inside it takes up a lot of coop space which you don't have to spare. With the roost that low and them sleeping in the nests or on the roost they should not be pooping in feed or water from the roosts. You don't have to worry about them having room to fly up to the roosts or back down without bumping into something, they won't have room to spread their wings and fly, let alone a need to.

I can't tell exactly how that tray is set up but unless you hang the feeder and/or waterer you'd have to remove them to slide the tray out. Assuming the tray doesn't jam. Would you be able to put any bedding on that floor and still slide the tray out?

You can feed and water outside in good weather, maybe in winter. The feed needs to stay dry so you might be able to hang it under the coop section but rain blows in from the side. Who cares if water gets wet?

That is set up to be mobile. Do you want that, there could be some advantages? But one of the disadvantages is that a digging predator could easily dig under the fence and get inside. If your ground is not fairly level one might be able to just squeeze under. There are ways to fix that but it makes it less mobile and requires additional construction. There are trade-offs for everything.

How well that would suit you will depend a lot on how you manage them. Will you lock your chickens in that coop section at night to keep them safe from predators or will you leave that pop door open so they have access to the entire thing? If you lock them in that coop section will someone be down there at the crack of dawn every day to let them out? The longer you leave them locked in that tight space the more you risk from behaviors. I'm sure you never like to sleep in. Or can you depend on someone else to do that for you? it's would be nice to have minions you can depend on. If you leave that pop door open then a lot of the space problems go away, at least on days they can go outside. But you need to be comfortable that run is predator-proof.

I like the idea of having a run you can lock them in if you want to, even if you plan to free range them. What if a predator starts to pick them off, you might ant them locked up until you deal with the predator. Maybe you are doing something back there you don't want chickens bothering you. You might find they are pooping somewhere you don't want them to or are scratching mulch away from your plantings. Having a run gives you a lot of flexibility.

Bantams are known to go broody. How will you deal with that? You might need a broody buster if you don't want to hatch eggs which I don't think you do. Where will you put that so it is safe from predators. An easy broody buster is to hang a wire dog cage so their is air underneath.

The lock on that door is a slide. A raccoon could manipulate that.

The wire is hardware cloth, probably 1" mesh, can't tell for sure. I don't know what gauge it is but it's probably fairly strong. At least it is not chicken wire. I can't tell how it is attached, from a couple of photos I'm not sure I'm impressed,looks like staples in some fairly thin wood.. Often the connections are the weak point.

That run section is less than 3' high, under the coop section much lower. The only way to get there if you need to is to crawl in chicken poop.

To me that does not look like it was designed with chickens in mind. They even say rabbit hutch. With them using millimeters you wonder where it was deigned and built. It is surprisingly cheap, which also raises concerns. Just how robust is the hardware?

First I suggest you read this. It's an article I wrote for the chicken forum. Some will not apply to you but some will. I find the more I crowd them the more behavioral problems I have to deal with, the harder I have to work, and the less flexibility I have to deal with issues. A lot of it is more for your comfort and convenience that trying to coddle the chickens. I'm all in favor of my comfort and convenience.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-much-room-do-chickens-need.66180/

Then you might look through this section, tractors or small coops, and see if you like one. A lot of them come with instructions. Then get a handyman to build it for you. It will cost more than that coop but i think it will be worth the money. Instead of thinking how many chickens can I shoehorn in this coop without them eating each other, think more of how many do I want amd how can I provide adequate space. You said you want six bantam. I'd go with a minimum of 4' x 4' and would prefer a 4x6 for the enclosed coop section only. Construction materials often come in standard 4' or 8' dimensions. If you use those you can often reduce cutting and waste. 6' isn't all that bad, the cut-offs can usually be used for nests and other construction. Don't forget a decent sized run, hopefully one you can stand in.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/chicken-coops.12/
 
thistlebloom

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Adding to Ridges thoughts, my chickens are out of the coop in all weather. The coop is for roosting at night only. Food and water are under the coop which is raised up a few feet off the ground.
In the winter I have to shovel paths for them to move around on since I expect them to be out.

I downsized last year and my husband built me a smaller coop. It's not practical to house them in it 24/7.
 
canesisters

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Skip the cute coops - worse than useless.
Figure out something like ... 3sq feet per bird of floor space and 12" of roost for each bird.
For your cold, wet winters you might want to look into the 'Woods Coop' design. These provide plenty of ventilation and protection. Set it inside a secure yard with LOTS of space and places they can shelter/hide and you'll have happy hens laying happy eggs. :)
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/woods-coop-in-kansas.1250679/#post-20064742
 
Beekissed

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[

canesisters said:
Skip the cute coops - worse than useless.
Figure out something like ... 3sq feet per bird of floor space and 12" of roost for each bird.
For your cold, wet winters you might want to look into the 'Woods Coop' design. These provide plenty of ventilation and protection. Set it inside a secure yard with LOTS of space and places they can shelter/hide and you'll have happy hens laying happy eggs. :)
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/woods-coop-in-kansas.1250679/#post-20064742
Click to expand...

THIS X2 and I second all the Ridge said...I know everyone pictures eggs first and then chicken life second, but if you really regard the life of the animal, plan for space, air and light. Chickens have a natural life and they are hunter/foragers, first and foremost. Picture your life lived only in a very small house, but you only get to sleep and shelter in the bathroom...for your entire life. You get to move into the other parts of the house when it's warm weather but you will sleep and shelter in the bathroom only. And that bathroom will have very little ventilation or light and you have no flush toilet. The house you move out into during the day will also have all your fecal matter underfoot as well, day in and day out.

That's the life of any chicken in one of those dollhouse coop and runs...it's cute.... and very, very cruel.

Every time someone asks me how many chickens can I get in that coop, the answer is always "depends". Just like Ridge outlined, it all depends on the weather, the type, breed and size of the birds, and how much work you want to do to keep them clean and healthy. For any confined animal, the more space you can provide, the better their life and the healthier that life can be.

In one of those coops? I wouldn't put a single chicken in there and expect it to live out its natural life confined to that kind of living, no matter how many times you plan to move the coop or let it out to range in the day(it takes dedication and routine to stick to moving that coop daily and letting chickens in and out of the whole thing and guarding them from aerial preds while they range...so it sounds good at first, but few continue doing so year in and year out).

You really don't even need a lot of money to provide adequate shelter and space for a few layers....a few cattle panels, lumber and wire can get you there. There are scads of such setups on BYC and all over the net, if you do a search. Even people with minimal construction skills can build a CP coop...I did and my original one was done in 10 days for under $200 and had space enough for LF birds up to 20 if you free range like I do(8x10)...but I never winter over that many, even though I've expanded it to hold up to a flock of 30(10x12). Tops, I'll winter over around 15 or 16 and mine go out even in the snows, so they are rarely confined to the coop for any length of time in the winter months and never any other time.

Even a cute but well built coop with a CP run would be great...this is one from a school...still too small but better built than a dollhouse coop.

LL
 
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