honeybear527
In the Brooder
Hi all-
I'm a new to the chicken adventure. My husband and I got our first chicks last week. We got 12 assuming not all would make it. Although it is still early, all 12 are thriving and seem to be pretty strong. We have 4 Black Giants, 4 Golden Wyandots and 4 New Hampshire's.
We were originally planning on purchasing a coop from Tractor Supply that said it could house 10-15 chickens, we knew we would expand the run beyond what the purchased coop provided. However, as I'm doing more research, and I'm starting to think the coops that say 10-15 are more realistic to have 5-7 full sized chickens. I want to make sure that they have enough room, however I don't think they need a full chicken mansion either. I've heard the 3 SQFT in the coop and the 10 SQFT run space as a rule of thumb. Is this a reasonable estimate? Also, would the 3 SQFT in the coop include the nesting boxes or should it be 3 SQFT + Nesting boxes? Also, do the Black Giants need more than the 3 SQFT rule, in general?
I'm starting to think to get the size the girls need it may be more economical to build the coop to make sure they get the space the need. I've been researching plans too but it just seems overwhelming. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I want to make sure the ladies have enough space to be healthy and happy without going overboard.
I'm a new to the chicken adventure. My husband and I got our first chicks last week. We got 12 assuming not all would make it. Although it is still early, all 12 are thriving and seem to be pretty strong. We have 4 Black Giants, 4 Golden Wyandots and 4 New Hampshire's.
We were originally planning on purchasing a coop from Tractor Supply that said it could house 10-15 chickens, we knew we would expand the run beyond what the purchased coop provided. However, as I'm doing more research, and I'm starting to think the coops that say 10-15 are more realistic to have 5-7 full sized chickens. I want to make sure that they have enough room, however I don't think they need a full chicken mansion either. I've heard the 3 SQFT in the coop and the 10 SQFT run space as a rule of thumb. Is this a reasonable estimate? Also, would the 3 SQFT in the coop include the nesting boxes or should it be 3 SQFT + Nesting boxes? Also, do the Black Giants need more than the 3 SQFT rule, in general?
I'm starting to think to get the size the girls need it may be more economical to build the coop to make sure they get the space the need. I've been researching plans too but it just seems overwhelming. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I want to make sure the ladies have enough space to be healthy and happy without going overboard.