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

 

[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!

 

[aart]

Quote:

It can also depend on the size of coop so they have room to fly down without crashing into a wall.

Mine are only 36" but I had to install a ramp for the fliers and the heavy girls to avoid the crash against wall and the huge THUD when they jumped onto the floor. My coop is only 6 feet wide.


Quote:
There is a lot of 'conflicting' information...but there are a lot of variables from coop to coop and breed to breed and keeper to keeper.
If you're going by the oft cited 4sqft in coop, I've found that is a minimum, more space is always better especially if you live in a cold snowy climate.

It can take some 'field design' and modification once you start building and then again when you get your birds.
You don't really need 2' x 3' dust area, a bin that's 1' x 2' will suffice for when they can't find a place to dust outside during a frozen winter.
Go ahead and make the roost board higher and maybe add a ramp...you can also raise the nests off the floor(24") to free up more floor space.
Here's how I maximized my floor space, nest box bottom is 24", roost boards are about 36", platform for ramps is about 16"(they can go under platform).

 

[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...

 

[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