How much space do you need for 12 chickens?

I’m located in Denmark. Where it rains a lot and it can get pretty cold here. I think the coldest it has been this year is around - 5 degrees and the hottest it has been is around 95 degrees.
I lived in Denmark for two years in the 1980's in the Copenhagen area (Herlev) but travelled to all parts of your country. Those cold temperatures sound about right. For chickens that have feathered out those temperatures are not cold, no worries there. Your problem will be more with the snow. Chickens don't like change and generally do not like waking up to a white world. Usually within a few days they get used to it and many will go out and walk in it but they could be kept in the coop section only for a few days where they can get crowded. They don't like a cold wind either. Mine just won't go out in a brisk wind. Snow and wind is more likely to cause a problem by keeping them in the coop section in winter than the cold.

I don't recall it ever getting anywhere near that warm. I remember fabulous summers. That had to be miserable for you since your housing is not set up for those temperatures. But provided they have shade, water, and decent ventilation on the coop your chickens should be able to survive that heat. It's getting close but you should not have any worries there.

I was wondering how much space do 12 chickens need? Outside and inside so that that can live the best life possible.
You can follow the link in my signature to get some of my thoughts on why chickens need room. To me each situation is unique with different flock make-ups, climate, management techniques, goals, and so many other things that I don't believe in a square feet per chicken number. I strongly believe the more room you can reasonably give them the better but many chickens are very content when they are a what we consider a bit crowded while others need more room. I find the more I crowd them the more behavioral problems I have to deal with, the harder I have to work, and the less flexibility I have to deal with issues that come up. This is about you more than it is about the chickens but they benefit too if you are not stressed out.

Another question is chickens live in the same coop even though they have a age difference? Bc I was thinking that when I get my next set of chicken I would wanna get some that are younger that my current flock but is that a good idea?
How old would the chickens be that you are thinking of getting? The age difference can be important until the young ones are old enough to make their way into the pecking order, which with my pullets is usually about the time they start laying. Until that point the age difference has a lot to do with how you integrate them and manage them. But after they reach that age, an age difference is not very important as far as how you manage them. We can go into details when we know how old those new chickens will be. But as to the general question many of us have flocks with chickens of varying ages.

I also really want to have some silkies but is that possible with a English araucana rooster?
Is your concern size or the feathers and top knot? It sounds like you have a bantam Polish. How is that working out with your rooster and flock? Are the Silkies you are planning to get bantams, not all are? If size is your concern, when chickens mate the hen squats. That gets her body on the ground so the rooster's weight goes into the ground through her body, not just her legs. That enables the hen to support a larger male. His feet spread out to get his weight into her body more gradually than at a sharp point, but the more weight difference the more risk there is from that. Many people keep large fowl roosters with bantam hens without issues but that is not totally without risk. The English Araucana rooster should weight about 3 kg (6.5 pounds) which isn't that large. With living animals I can't give you any guarantees but I would not be overly concerned.
If the concern is due to appearance, either the different feathers or the crest, sometimes the chickens will pick on a different looking chicken. They don't always but some people have mentioned that. Silkies and Polish are often mentioned. It's usually the hens that cause a problem when you have it but since they are living animals I can't guarantee anything about your rooster. Many people integrate without these problems but some people mention them.

Integration takes more room than after they are fully integrated, regardless of age. Juveniles tend to take more room until they mature. Many people on here can help you out with integrating, we do it all of the time. Usually very successfully but it is not without risk. There are techniques that greatly reduce your risk.

I don't anticipate you having unsurmountable issues in the summer, either with integration or them just living together. Do your integration is summer. In winter you may be OK but wind or snow could cause issues.
 
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I don't recall it ever getting anywhere near that warm. I remember fabulous summers. That had to be miserable for you since your housing is not set up for those temperatures. But provided they have shade, water, and decent ventilation on the coop your chickens should be able to survive that heat. It's getting close but you should not have any worries there.
I have had my chickens since April,and this summer has been one of the hottest ever but I hope that it won’t be that hot again for a long time. They have a tree in their coop and a window that can open if it gets too hot.




How old would the chickens be that you are thinking of getting?
My thought was to get chickens that are almost ready to lay eggs. Since I hatched out my own last time I don’t really have the need for that and thinking it would be easier to get some that are almost ready.

Is your concern size or the feathers and top knot? It sounds like you have a bantam Polish. How is that working out with your rooster and flock? Are the Silkies you are planning to get bantams, not all are? but some people mention them.
My concern on getting silkies is that the rooster will break the neck because once i was talking to a lady and I mentioned that I would like some silkies one day and she said that I can’t bc my rooster will break their neck. But I have my little polish chicken who is very very small. I didn’t know she would be that small when I got her bc she was only 14 weeks but she just never grew bigger. But it’s working out fine in my coop, she is very shy so it took her a long time to warm up and go outside but once she did she was in the flock.
I was thinking of getting the big silkies,so that they all weigh the same ish and so my polish have someone close to her weight and size.
 

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My thought was to get chickens that are almost ready to lay eggs. Since I hatched out my own last time I don’t really have the need for that and thinking it would be easier to get some that are almost ready.
We call those POL (Point Of Lay) pullets. There are advantages. By that age you know they are girls, not boys. You don't have to set up a brooder. They should cost more than baby chicks but someone had bought food and raised them. It is a common choice.

You will still have some age-related integration issues but they should not last long, not like with baby chicks. I don't know what integration techniques you planned, but housing them across wire for a while so they get used to each other and providing separated feeding and watering stations should go a long way.

We call the enclosed building the "coop" and the fenced in area the "run". The run is quite nice but the coop is a bit small for integration. But that only counts when they are locked in there. You may have some issues getting the young ones to go in there as it is getting dark and you probably will want to be down there early until you are sure it won't be a problem when they wake up. When it is dark the older can't see well enough to hurt the younger. Yes, I know how late it gets dark and how early it gets light in summer, you may have a short night's sleep for a bit but with mine that usually is only a day or two. Or you can get an automatic door to open at sunrise. It should all be doable.

My concern on getting silkies is that the rooster will break the neck because once i was talking to a lady and I mentioned that I would like some silkies one day and she said that I can’t bc my rooster will break their neck.
Part of the mating act is the male grabbing the back of the head. That is her signal to raise her tail up out of the way so he can hit the target. It is instinctive, both him to grab the head and her to raise her tail. There would be no fertile eggs without the head grab.

We all have our own experiences and I don't know what she saw. I know of nothing about Silkies that makes them any more susceptible to a broken neck than any other chicken like your Polish. I can only speculate that if that actually happened it was probably not a mature rooster but an immature cockerel really hopped up on hormones and a large boy with a tiny Silkie. Probably a freak accident. If I wanted the walking toilet brushes that people call Silkies (I don't) I would not let that stop me from getting them. I would suggest getting larger ones if that is an option, just to reduce your worry level. Yours is not a hormone driven out of control cockerel but should be a mature gentleman. There can be a lot of difference.
 
From what I know of Silkies they are very docile. I would worry about bullying during integration. You could always get a second small coop, and attach it to your current run but section off a part just for them. Get 3-4 Silkies, and give them that space. Because they tend to be small and have a hard time seeing, they can be easy targets.
 
We call those POL (Point Of Lay) pullets. There are advantages. By that age you know they are girls, not boys. You don't have to set up a brooder. They should cost more than baby chicks but someone had bought food and raised them. It is a common choice.
I raised chicks in April and hatched them out on my own and in July I bought 2 new chicken and 1 of the ones I bought in July is very tame now and one of the things I really want is that the chickens are not afraid of me and trust me. I find chickens really interesting and can sit and watch them for hours so I want some that are trusting.
You will still have some age-related integration issues but they should not last long, not like with baby chicks. I don't know what integration techniques you planned, but housing them across wire for a while so they get used to each other and providing separated feeding and watering stations should go a long way.
I have a little coop that is next to my big coop. In July I tried to different methods but bc one of the chickens had some issues they ended in quarantine for 5 weeks and I put them into the coop at night. The polish chicken did well and had no problems but for the other one they pecked a deep hole in her neck so we did the see but don’t touch methode with her for 2 weeks and put her in the flock after that and it seems that everything is going well now. The 3 girls I hatched out are pretty mean and don’t really like to share anything with them.
. Yours is not a hormone driven out of control cockerel but should be a mature gentleman. There can be a lot of difference.
My rooster or I guess cockerel are not mean or harsh on the girls but he does jump my biggest girl every morning. He has also mated the polish without problems. He is generally a very good rooster and does not really try and mate with them in the moment and just chills with them.
 
I like a multi-generational flock. However, I think you should not 'fill' the coop the first year.

I think I would add 3-4 birds, and see how the year goes. Often times, you can loose a couple birds, which gives you room to add a few more.

In the summer time, you can cheat a bit with numbers, but by fall you need to reduce to 8-9 birds.

Mrs K
 

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