# Coop big enough???



## jchancegreen (Apr 16, 2013)

I am about to complete my coop, new to chickens. I have 6 chicks, 2 barred rocks, 2 buff orps & 2 americaunas. 
My coop has a 4' X 8' floor and is 6' high with a 2'X4'X3' nesting box/ night box. My original plan is to only let them out when I get home for a few hours until it gets dark and then put then back in. I'm only doing this because I'm worried about predators when I'm not there. Would the size of the coop be sufficient for keeping them in for that long?


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## 7chicks (Jun 29, 2012)

Coop is a great size but if you can, attach a run for them. They really relish the outdoor time. You'll find them to get very antsy and see the words "cooped up" have literal meaning. Run doesn't have to be anything fancy. Use 1/4" hardware cloth for the screen, and roof it. Some use screening on top, I have clearance sale sheet metal roofing on the old section and plain plywood on the new section with plans to get actual roofing of some sort later this year. During the day, their main predators are going to be the neighbor's dog that gets loose or the overhead hawks etc. Run doesn't have to be huge. Just room for them to be out in the fresh air and scratch around a bit and take a bath. You can always add on later.


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## jchancegreen (Apr 16, 2013)

thanks a lot for the quick response, how much bigger does my run need to be? I have 32 sq feet in the coop, how much extra would you think i would need for the add on run? Thanks


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## 7chicks (Jun 29, 2012)

My first run is pretty small. I only had 6 chickens at the time. Its only 7 1/2 feet by maybe 6 feet and they were content with that for the first year. The new addition is 8x8 so the old run is butted up to it. I have 8 full size chickens, 1 sassy banty, and 2 Pekin ducks that share this space now. Ducks new additions to the family this Spring so I'm not sure if I'll be needed to add on more space for them or not yet.


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