How much room do I actually need for 4 chickens?

[U_Stormcrow]

Good to know... thanks!!

If you have a lot of vertical space, and can put, say, a picnic table in your run, then you can count the space on the table/benches and beneath - but if you are sticking picnic tables in your run as clutter, you probably have enough space already.

 

[raingarden]

My trouble with the standard 4-10-1 recommendation is that it does not apply to open-air "coops" in a mild climate where there is no harsh winter. We have a dozen chicken pens of various shapes and sizes, but none have a fully enclosed coop. They just have plenty of places to lay, roost, scratch and get out of the rain. I guess that more space is always better, but with 10 square feet per bantam or 15 square feet per large chicken the flock dynamics seem to be fine and it doesn't turn into a sewer.

 

[aart]

My trouble with the standard 4-10-1 recommendation is that it does not apply to open-air "coops" in a mild climate where there is no harsh winter.

I agree...and it also doesn't really apply to harsh winter climates.
Much depends on the climate and configuration of the run.
It's just a general guideline, that is a good place to start.
Too many people take it too seriously, and as written in stone, without thinking about variables.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

My trouble with the standard 4-10-1 recommendation is that it does not apply to open-air "coops" in a mild climate where there is no harsh winter. We have a dozen chicken pens of various shapes and sizes, but none have a fully enclosed coop. They just have plenty of places to lay, roost, scratch and get out of the rain. I guess that more space is always better, but with 10 square feet per bantam or 15 square feet per large chicken the flock dynamics seem to be fine and it doesn't turn into a sewer.

open air coops essentially allow you to treat coop as run.

The "thumb rules" are a good starting point, nothing more - a useful reference from which to start making adjustments based on individual needs, conditions, and circumstances.

 

[3KillerBs]

Does vertical run space count? (cubic feet) For example, if i have an 8x8 enclosed area, that's 64 sq ft. But if it's 6 feet tall with a roof, that's a lot more (in my pea-brain) than an 8x8 run that's only 2 or 3 feet high. So does that figure into the space?

No. Chickens don't stack for storage.

The deck of a poop board and the space under it can help enrich the area. Likewise multiple levels of perch, etc. (many of mine like to sit on top of the broody breaker and on top of the feeder shelter). But it's not the same as adequate space.

My trouble with the standard 4-10-1 recommendation is that it does not apply to open-air "coops" in a mild climate where there is no harsh winter. We have a dozen chicken pens of various shapes and sizes, but none have a fully enclosed coop. They just have plenty of places to lay, roost, scratch and get out of the rain. I guess that more space is always better, but with 10 square feet per bantam or 15 square feet per large chicken the flock dynamics seem to be fine and it doesn't turn into a sewer.

Much depends on the climate and configuration of the run.
It's just a general guideline, that is a good place to start.

Right.

They are *guidelines* not *rules*.

This article is excellent about explaining that: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-much-room-do-chickens-need.66180/

But we need guidelines to know where to begin and can tweak from there.

 

[Aunt Angus]

In my old, smaller run, I installed deep "shelves" around the perimeter (18 in wide). That actually acted like additional square footage. I had to scrape them off daily to keep them from getting really gross, but it was like an apartment with a loft. My girls loved it.

 

[Dakota8472]

The prefab manufacturers' claims are based on legal minimums for commercially-kept birds -- who are intensively managed in ways that backyarders cannot duplicate (forced-air ventilation automatically coupled to temperature and ammonia sensors), and do not want to duplicate (debeaking to prevent cannibalism). They are not *exactly* lies, but they are deceptive.

This coop was designed to meet all the minimums for 4 hens: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/ At one point I had 5 in there happily BUT I also had approximately 600 feet of run space in an exceedingly mild climate.

The 4 square foot per hen is the size of my doormat:

The 10 square feet in the run is the size of that little, fiberglass, tub/shower combo that you find in the hall bath in a manufactured home.

Just to give you an idea of what actual chickens look like in a space with their equipment, this photo shows 3 cull cockerels in a 4x8 space. At this age they're just slightly smaller than an adult hen of their breed:

No one has ever regretted making their coop and run bigger.

i haven't regreted it. lol. and now im trying to make a semi temporary fence to make the run bigger during the winter since my chickens are used to running wild so far. Going big is so worth it.

 

[Aunt Angus]

i haven't regreted it. lol. and now im trying to make a semi temporary fence to make the run bigger during the winter since my chickens are used to running wild so far. Going big is so worth it.

Absolute gospel for chicken keeping.

I have a big coop with a big run plus a good sized fenced and covered yard for my birds. My birds had about 50 sq ft each. I lost a few (2 to illness, 1 was rehomed). Now they gave more like 60 sq ft per bird. As much as I regret losing the 2 to illness, it *feels* better in their space. I don't regret rehoming my extra cockerel. Less stress in my flock and he has a fantastic new life with a flock of his own. And the extra room his adoption affords is a big bonus.

 

[jeffreyscanlan]

Hello everyone, I'm a little confused by all the recommendations for required coop/run space. After doing a bunch of reading and searching (here and a few other similar forums/sites), the common rule of thumb seems to be the following (per chicken):

10 sq. ft. of run space
4 sq. ft. of coop space
1 linear foot of roost space

At this stage, I don't particularly want to build a coop on my own, so I've been looking at kits. However, virtually none of the kits follow the guidelines above.

For example, this coop is advertised for 6 chickens: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-mini-defender-coop-mdc001

LxWxH is 76"x36"x48" which is just shy of 20 sq ft of run space...so by the math above, I should only have 2 chickens in it? That's nowhere near the 6 in the product description.


Another example from a different brand: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/precision-xl-superior-construction-annex-coop-37077d

This product says it will hold 10-15 chickens, and it has dimensions of 103.5"x56"x57.6"....this comes out to about 40 sq ft of run space. So does this coop really only hold 4 chickens?!

More space = better, sure. But that is a HUGE disparity between the chicken coop manufacturers and the backyard chicken community.

Realistically, I will never have more than 4 chickens (due to local laws/ordinances, yard space available, and not needing more than 4 chickens for my little family). So how much space is really required for them? I imagine there's some happy medium guideline. Thanks!

I started off with four chickens in a pan that I built where they had about 50 ft.² that was in the base of their secure pen. You and your chickens will enjoy the experience much better if you can make a secure part of your yard for the chickens, understand that part of the yard they will pick and scratch and tear up the grass so it is theirs, but everybody will be more happy .