How many chickens can my coop hold?

[Bloveschickens]

My coop is 2 floors it is 4.5 x 5 on both levels. The top floor is where the chickens roost and has three roosts, but the girls only use the top roost. The bottom floor has the food and water and three nesting boxes. The run is 11.5 x 7 feet and the chickens are in there most of the day during the fall winter and spring, when they free range for about 1 hour a day, sometimes they get more time and sometimes I don't have a chance to let them free range. In the summer they get much more free ranging time, around 5-7 hours, because I am home more. I currently have four hens and was wondering how many more I could add in the spring. I know the 4 square feet in the coop and 10 square feet in the run rule but was unsure about how many chickens I could really have because my coop is two floors.

My Coop: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/cape-cod-coop

 

[Mrs. K]

Bantam or full size? Cause I would think that would be about right for 4 head of full size, any more, and they are going to be crowded.

I would also suggest putting a roost out in the run, some different levels out there too, perhaps something to get behind too.

Mrs K

 

[Bloveschickens]

I have large fowl hens. I really think that I could have more than 4 chickens because I used to have 7 and they were in no way cramped at all and I never had any behavioral problems. Also, that picture of my coop was before we put chickens out there, now we have an old chair a roost some branches and a set of stairs for the chickens to climb in the run. We also have an area for them to dust bathe.

thank you for your response

 

[Chick Charm]

You could figure about 8" to 12" roost space and still have healthy chickens. So maybe 8 or 10 birds total DEPENDING on your internal set up.

Wish ya the best.

 

[Bloveschickens]

You could figure about 8" to 12" roost space and still have healthy chickens. So maybe 8 or 10 birds total DEPENDING on your internal set up.

Wish ya the best.

I do have the feeder inside and I heard it opens up space for chickens in the coop to move the feeder outside into the run. Would that be a good idea? I was hoping to get 4 more chicks in the spring. Also, what exactly does my internal set up and how many chickens I could get depend on? If you would like I could take pictures of the inside of my coop tomorrow.

thank you

 

[aart]

Pics of the inside would help, if things have changed since your coop page pics.

The 4/10 sq ft is bare minimum IMO.
Might be able to fit 8 in there if they had all been raised together(tho I wouldn't do it),
but integrating 4 into 4?.... in that small of a space?.... is going to be problematic at best, a blood bath at worst.


Space if very important for stress levels and manure/air quality management.
Small floor plans make it hard for birds to get off roosts without crashing into a wall.....
.....then ramps for roosts take up more of that floor space and introduce another obstacle.

The double decker design impedes good air ventilation more than it provides more floor space....
...and the hatch to the lower floor deletes a quarter of the upper floor space (not sure if you calculated that into the mix).

What is your climate?
Adding your location to your profile helps folks give more viable suggestions/answers.

I would suggest that if you want more chickens, you build another coop and run that is at least twice the size of that one.....
......and use the smaller coop/run to raise chicks until they are of a good size to integrate into the rest of the flock.

 

[Mrs. K]

Two coops is such a lovely idea....... wondering if I can swing it? hmmmm

 

[lazy gardener]

Ditto what Aart suggested. Even though you want to double your flock size, and in theory, the numbers say that you might be able to get away with it, the smaller coops are an invitation to problems with behaviors as well as increasing the likelihood of disease issues.

 

[Bloveschickens]

Thank you everyone for your responses I really need a silkie since I don't have any right now and love the breed so I think I may add only 1 or 2 silkies this year. I don't believe I woll have any problems because I used to have 6 birds and there was never an issue