Is it big enough?

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Being a newby i wasn't sure what to go for when purchasing our coop so managed to get a coop to hold 6-8 birds for my four girls which is lovely and a metre long run which attaches onto the coop. Spent days reading up as much as i could and decided this was the best to go for and thinking i was doing good.

Is this big enough for the four girls do you reckon? They still in there in the morning till i get from work at lunchtime and most days they will be able to free range the garden where there is plenty of space and things to do. But concerned it may not be enough if i am going to be out for the day (still worried about leaving them free ranging if i'm not there at the house) :oops:

Kim

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Hi, again, Kim
How big is your henhouse? I think Large Fowl need a 12 inch square inside the henhouse and 10 square foot outside, though I know plenty of people who have happy hens in a bit less space than this.

I started with a 12 foot square henhouse and a 16 square foot run for 2 LF and 2 bantams - I kept them in this for 4 days and then got up at the crack of dawn one morning and built a 14 x 10 foot fence round the run whilst hubby was sleeping - posession being 9/10ths of the law etc. I kept them in this for most of the time.
Now, my 6 pekins are in the 140 square foot enclosre for the morning and out in the garden all afternoon and evening - mind you, I think they're too lazy to attempt the garden fence - just the vegetable patch!
 
bridgemontbelle said:
Hi, again, Kim
How big is your henhouse? I think Large Fowl need a 12 inch square inside the henhouse and 10 square foot outside, though I know plenty of people who have happy hens in a bit less space than this.

I started with a 12 foot square henhouse and a 16 square foot run for 2 LF and 2 bantams - I kept them in this for 4 days and then got up at the crack of dawn one morning and built a 14 x 10 foot fence round the run whilst hubby was sleeping - posession being 9/10ths of the law etc. I kept them in this for most of the time.
Now, my 6 pekins are in the 140 square foot enclosre for the morning and out in the garden all afternoon and evening - mind you, I think they're too lazy to attempt the garden fence - just the vegetable patch!


Hi , could remember the measurements so have just been onto the webpage where we got it and the measurements for the coop are Length;1245mm, Width;1000mm and Height; 1140mm and then the run itslef which fastens onto the coop is L1180mm, W890mm and H1130mm ( sorry garbage at converting :oops: )

Thanks for your message :D so what do you reckon?

Kim
 
Right I've now converted it into old money.
Your house and run are roughly 12 square foot each.
If you're worried about the space, can you put up a fence around the coop/run to give them a bit more?
All I did originally was stick 5 ft garden canes through some pea netting and rammed them into the ground. it was simple, effective and very cheap.
When we put up a "more permanent" fence (still a cheap one) I snuck a few more feet whilst hubby wasn't looking.
Don't worry about worrying, either - I drove myself to distraction when I got mine in Feb. I was far more worried about the hens than I ever was about the kids!
You'll find that there are lots of great people here who are only too happy to help newbies like us, even though they must have answered the same questions a hundred times before. Many thanks to them.
It's a really friendly forum.
Enjoy.
 

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PS. I finally finished the fence this weekend. Well, in the inside anyway.
 
Thanks Liz for your help again, everyone has been great so far on here so so friendly. Wasn't sure if everyone was going to be big time breeders and showers and i would have been out of place on here not having much idea apart from what i am reading in my Haynes chicken manual and what all you helpful folks have helped with on here. Put a wee pic on of the coop now i have finally managed to get pics uploaded :shock:

Thanks everyone Kim
 
Hi Kim,
Your coop is the same as mine, for the first few days I kept the girls in a run like yours and then bought a dog run that the coop sits inside. They seem to really enjoy it and I know they have room if I'm not about to let them into the garden. I only bought something because If I waited for hubby to make something, I'd have waited forever :roll: It's also really sturdy and I know predators can't get in. I don't think you should worry too much though since you are only talking about the occasional day and not all the time and you could always add an extension. Our neighbours keep theirs in something much smaller and I get a bit frantic when they haven't opened the coop by 11 am :o Hubby tells me to mind my own but those poor hens, in this heat!
 
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