How many chickens could I have in a 10X10 coop?

[chicken farmer]

Were building a new coop here soon and it's gonna be 10 foot by 10 foot and 6 feet in the back and 7 and a half feet in the front,so it's gonna be a nice walk in coop. I'm wondering the maximum amount of chickens I should keep in it when it's built? I'm thinking probably 25 but I would like to hear what other people think I know there's about a square foot or so of space for each chicken in the coop or somewhere in there. But any help will be appreciated

 

[welasharon]

No way will it work for 25. They will reduce the numbers themselves if you try to put that many in there. It's more like four square foot per bird but even that is too little for actual living birds. I would not put more than 6 or 8, maybe 10 or 12 if they aren't large fowl, in there myself. If they have to be shut in for any period of time you will start having problems with feather picking and/or killing. Is there going to be an attached run or are they free ranging?

 

[MeepBeep]

Although the general calculation is 4 sqft per bird, and that suggest you could stuff 25 birds in there probably best to limit it slightly... Run size and outside access also have to be factored in... If the coop is just for night time roosting, you have at least 1 foot of perch per bird and you have a large outside run or free range you might be OK for 25 birds but you are at max capacity...

 

[chicken farmer]

Oh they won't be shut in there at all,I somehow forgot the space requirements and was thinking about roosting. I'm talking about a coop not a pen,like I said 10X10 feet and there will be roosts from the top to the floor in the back and nestboxs up front and there will still be some room open in the coop plus the feeder. I have a 20X20 foot pen they are in with stumps,outside roosts,bushes and things that's all wire and is about 6 feet tall as well, right now we have a 4X4 foot coop that is too small so were building this bigger one. Here is a picture of the existing pen and coop(the pen is staying of course) but we'll be building the new 10X10 coop. And this picture is from last winter and it isn't of the whole pen but it gives you an idea

 

[MeepBeep]

You should be fine, for 25 birds...

 

[chicken farmer]

I let them out to free range every once and a while,but I know the outside is fine with them but just wondering about the coop and I will have around 13 chickens once I find homes for these extra roosters. So it will be fine but I was just wondering the best number since I'll be adding to my flock this spring thanks

 

[MeepBeep]

I let them out to free range every once and a while,but I know the outside is fine with them but just wondering about the coop and I will have around 13 chickens once I find homes for these extra roosters. So it will be fine but I was just wondering the best number since I'll be adding to my flock this spring thanks

You should limit your flock to 25 regular sized chickens at any given time, that way they have sufficient space inside the coop...

 

[Blooie]

Might I also add that it can also depend somewhat on how much time you invest in care and cleaning. I know the accepted minimum norm is 4 sq ft per bird in a coop. Let's just use 10 chickens as an example. Although not ideal, I'd rather see those 10 birds in a slightly smaller coop if it's kept clean, has lots of sunlight and ventilation, ways to alleviate boredom, dry litter, comfortable roosts, and an adequate outdoor area (run or free range) than to see 5 chickens in a large coop if it's dark, dingy, smells like ammonia because it's full of poop and spilled food and water, and they are cramped in there most of the time on dirty, undersized roosts. A little common sense goes a long way when housing chickens....

I see your birds don't mind being out in the snow! I hope mine are as good about it, because by the end of winter they'll see plenty!

 

[chicken farmer]

Might I also add that it can also depend somewhat on how much time you invest in care and cleaning. I know the accepted minimum norm is 4 sq ft per bird in a coop. Let's just use 10 chickens as an example. Although not ideal, I'd rather see those 10 birds in a slightly smaller coop if it's kept clean, has lots of sunlight and ventilation, ways to alleviate boredom, dry litter, comfortable roosts, and an adequate outdoor area (run or free range) than to see 5 chickens in a large coop if it's dark, dingy, smells like ammonia because it's full of poop and spilled food and water, and they are cramped in there most of the time on dirty, undersized roosts. A little common sense goes a long way when housing chickens....

I see your birds don't mind being out in the snow! I hope mine are as good about it, because by the end of winter they'll see plenty!

Yes I clean often and with the bigger coop they can all have roosts and not sleep on top the nestboxs and floor and like I sad there will be roosts on the back side probably in the corners on both sides and about 8-10 nestboxs and a feeder and the water is outside plus ventilation and were gonna put windows in it. And yes they have the 20X20 pen and get out to free range every now and again. So of course they'll sleep,lay there eggs,eat and stay inside when it's cold and rainy

 

[Ridgerunner]

Follow the link in my signature to get some of my thoughts on how much room they need. I don’t give hard and fast numbers, just things to consider. There are way too many variables in the way we keep them and our conditions for any one square footage to work for all of us. I find the tighter I pack 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 things that pop up.

It’s not how much space is in the coop in isolation. It’s how much room is available to them when they need it. It doesn’t matter if that is in the coop by itself, the coop and run combined, or if they free range and sleep in trees. Space is space. A big run does no good if they are locked in a coop.

That 4 square feet in the coop with 10 square feet in the run guideline is based on a small backyard flock of just a few hens all about the same age. No roosters. No integration. No broodies raising chicks with the flock. The further you get from that model the less valid it is. I believe the vast majority of integration and broody problems on this forum stems from the chickens not having enough room.

My coop and main run is pretty close to what you are talking about in size, but mine also have a big area (35’ x 70’) inside electric netting to roam in. You are going to get more snow that I do plus yours will probably get more winter weather where they won’t leave the coop on some day. If mine wake up to snow they normally avoid it for a couple of days, but eventually at least some of them go out to forage on grass and weeds sticking up out of it. Cold and snow doesn’t bother them that much but a cold blowing wind does. They don’t like a cold wind at all. I’m trying to envision 25 grown chickens in my main coop and run. I’m not thinking about when the weather is perfect. That’s unlikely to be when you will have your problems.

If it is all mature hens you should be OK with 25. You should even be able to add one mature rooster though in that space I’d be concerned with two roosters. It would help a lot if even a small area right outside the pop door was protected from the wind and maybe even snow. If you are diligent about being out there early every morning of the year to let them out, you could probably go a few more. If you sometimes sleep until noon on a Saturday and leave them locked in the coop you might want to watch your numbers a bit closer. How you manage them affects total numbers.

A broody hen could probably raise a brood without too many problems, but eventually those babies grow up and will count against your numbers. Some would be cockerels too and starting at puberty things could really get exciting in there. A hen and her baby chicks would not worry me too much in that but when those chicks start to grow up things could get exciting.

That should be big enough to integrate new chickens but again, watch your total numbers. A lot of us integrate brooder raised chicks when they are fairly young, but with that set-up you might want to wait until they are older.

That’s enough. My final thought is instead of thinking how many chickens can you shoehorn into a specific space think how many chickens you want and then provide adequate space for them in line with the way you plan to manage them.

Good luck!