10x10 chain link kennel chicken capacity

[GA Egg Head]

Hello, long time listener, first time caller here.
My question is how many chickens can I comfortably house in my 10x10 chain link kennel. I have 6 (2 roosters & 4 hens) living there currently (barred rocks and RIR) . It has a bamboo/field fence roof with tarp to keep out rain. I usually let them free range during the day and feed them at 4:30 pm in the kennel. They sleep/lay in a box I made that is 2'x4' with 1/4" mesh on bottom, chicken wire on front, and wood sides back and top. I set up 5 gallon buckets for nesting boxes but they must not be private enough for them because the don't touch them or prefer the box they are used to. I would like to use the box for quail so perhaps I should take it out and see if they will use the buckets. Sorry to ramble so much. But wanted to paint the best picture possible. Better yet I will take picture when I get home from work this morning. Please forgive my grammar/spelling/auto corrects because I use my phone for everything. Thanks!

 

[leghornfarm]

I think it is widely accepted, 4 square feet per bird for coop and 10 square feet per bird for run. But, more is better especially when it comes to chickens. Letting them free range during the day certainly will help, but keep in mind there may be days that you won't be able to let them out.
It sounds like your run is big enough. You may need a bigger coop, maybe twice the size of what you have and you may think of building it elevated a couple feet so the chickens still have access to the entire 10x10 run.

 

[GA Egg Head]

The yard i let them run around is about 1.5 acres fenced in so I doubt there its any problems there as long as I can keep my puppy from chasing them when she escapes. 80% of the time when she sees get into there yard she its fine but sometimes she likes to chase. No casualties yet but she's getting big fast.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I'm not a believer in the 4 sqft per bird coop size. As for run size it does depend on how much they free range. We use to have 7 birds in a small run but they free ranged every day and it worked well. Now with roosters they are mostly contained to the run and the 10 sqft per bird really suits them.

Do you lay your buckets on their side? I'm surprised they don't use them. I've used milk crates with straw inside standing upright. Those always work in a pinch as long as there is some sort of blind. Like if put in run I'd place in corner and have a small tarp covering the outside of corner to seem more secluded to them.

 

[GA Egg Head]

Hard to tell from pictures but the buckets are ziptied to bamboo and the chain link. I think I need to give them more privacy.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Yeah, perhaps against that tarp side or even wrap the tarp around corner so it seems like a good hiding spot to them. We use a tarp too as a wind shield and I always wrap part of a corner a good 4 ft in case the wind is wiping around buildings and coming in from several directions.

Like your set up. It's darn close to mine. I have a 4'X4' coop with attache external access nest box (with divider so two nests) on 4"X4" stilts to hang feed under to keep dry.