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chickenrun88

chickenrun88

In the Brooder
Apr 28, 2016
13
0
22
Declo, Idaho
I am new to chickens been around them alot but never had any of my own. I have 7 chickens 1 rooster and 6 hens. How big should my cope be don't want it too small.
 
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The general rule of thumb for dual purpose chickens is 4 sq. feet per bird inside the coop and if you're planning on an outside run, about 10 sq. feet per bird. The 4 sq. feet per bird does not include the additional space for feeders, nesting boxes, waterers or roosts. Always better to go bigger, the chickens will appreciate the extra room and then if you decide to add a few more you won't have to expand your coop.

There are some great coop ideas under the Coop tab at the top of the screen. Also, the Learning Center will be very helpful answering just about every question you can imagine.

Good luck with your new flock and your coop build!
 
Welcome to BYC!
A general minimum guideline is 4 square feet inside the coop and 10 square feet in the run per bird -- this is in addition to the space occupied by feed/water stations, etc. Again, this is just a generality -- it is meant to keep most beginners from running into issues that can arise from keeping birds overcrowded. I am of the opinion that there is no such thing as too much space - so encourage people to build bigger than they think they need, especially if you think there is any chance you may want to increase your flock size in the future (ie you have a roo and may be tempted to hatch) -- it is easier and more cost effective to invest at the beginning than to try to expand and build onto things later. Don't think of it as "how many birds can I cram into x space" or "what's the smallest I can get away with" - look at the area you have to work with, your budget, etc and think, "How big can I make this".
 
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I don't really know I know 3 of them r red in color and lay red eggsand they r about a year old the others r about 7 months old and lay little white eggs ps will they get bigger the eggs.
 
chickenrun88 said:
I don't really know I know 3 of them r red in color and lay red eggsand they r about a year old the others r about 7 months old and lay little white eggs ps will they get bigger the eggs.
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That's okay, lots of folks are unsure what breeds they have. If you take some pictures and post them we can help you identify your birds.
The young birds that are laying the small eggs will likely have larger eggs as they go, yes, when a bird first starts to lay the eggs are small. That being said, if they are bantam birds their eggs will not be as large (once they are laying their expected regular size) as a standard sized bird.
 

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