how much space per chicken

[Meld75]

Thanks Bruce. We decided to make the coop 24sq feet now because we are getting a few more chicks. The nest box is external so we should b okay there. The run is attached with a roof over all of it. It is lifted off the ground with more run space that goes under the coop. They will also b allowed to free range quite often. I need to ask how much vertical space I have in order to put roosting bars up. I'm all new to this so any info is greatly appreciated.

 

[Meld75]

Thanks Bruce. We decided to make the coop 24sq feet now because we are getting a few more chicks. The nest box is external so we should b okay there. The run is attached with a roof over all of it. It is lifted off the ground with more run space that goes under the coop. They will also b allowed to free range quite often. I need to ask how much vertical space I have in order to put roosting bars up. I'm all new to this so any info is greatly appreciated.

I was also wondering at what age are they ready for the coop? And how do u go about getting them in the coop every night and learning thats home and getting them to put themselves up in the coop

 

[ready4thegirls]

Thank you everyone for the info! I am trying to convince DH to do it 6x8 so we can have a little walk in area to keep the supplies in the coop but not sure if he will go for that. We are doing 4' sidewalls with a steep pitch roof that should leave us about 6' in the middle of the gable. DH knows what he is doing as he has been in construction for years and built our last two houses, so even if I don't understand what his plan is exactly (about the 5x6), it always works out. He said something about using one sheet of siding per side and the cut off pieces with another on the front and back or something like that.

But he is going to be busy getting it done because I just ordered my girls and they will arrive next week!!! I think we will try to make the run a little longer so they will have more room to roam when they are not in the yard.

 

[bruceha2000]

Thanks Bruce. We decided to make the coop 24sq feet now because we are getting a few more chicks. The nest box is external so we should b okay there. The run is attached with a roof over all of it. It is lifted off the ground with more run space that goes under the coop. They will also b allowed to free range quite often. I need to ask how much vertical space I have in order to put roosting bars up. I'm all new to this so any info is greatly appreciated.

They want to be high, high means safe. If the highest place is 1' off the ground, that is where they will roost, if it is 4' they will roost there. So there isn't a fixed "must be" height. BTW, if you don't have anything in the brooder now, put a roost in there that is a couple of inches off the ground. They'll get used to perching on their own, no need to train them. Mine were doing it before they were a week old, though they still slept on the bottom in "puppy piles".

(Just off the top of my head) If you have the coop 2' off the ground (so they have room underneath) and the roosts are 4' off the bottom, they will be 6' high. So factor that with in with the height of the people who will interact with the coop. BUT, the birds will need lower "steps" to get to the roost when they are young (mine have NEVER slept on the 2' roost). So (assuming a 4x6 coop) how about you set it up with a planned final 3' or 4' high roost 4' long on each 4' wide end (a foot from the wall) but made in a way they can start at 12", then move up as the birds grow and can fly higher? You can make "cleats" in the wall when you build it that can hold the roost boards (frequently a 2x4 on the flat). You can install them all now and drop the boards in the appropriate slot as time passes. The other thing this allows is the ability to take the boards out to clean them (if you want to).

My full grown birds can get to 3' with a hop and a couple of flaps, it isn't even effort. The bigger ones can make 4' from the ground if they want to but even the smaller ones usually stage themselves on the 2' roost first. The gray things are FREE plastic pool ladder steps I put in so the 3 1/2 week old birds could get to the top. But my coop is larger so I can afford to "waste" the space. That "structure" is 8' wide, 4 1/2' deep and 4' high.

Mine went in at 3 1/2 weeks when they wouldn't stay IN their bathtub any longer

They did mostly stay ON the bathtub (the clear shower curtain helped keep the heat in, birds as well). I think we only found one on the floor a couple of times. But it was July so it was warmer than your current temps. You can still put them in the coop (after they are fully feathered) but they might need their heat lamp at night for awhile.

Once you put them in the coop, leave them in there for a few days before letting them have free access to the run. It is OK, and probably GOOD, to let them in the run right off when you are there to watch them - which you WILL want to do because they are so much fun!!. Just open the door to the run and let the more brave and curious ones venture out. The others will follow because they want to be with the flock - safety in numbers.

They will associate the coop with "I sleep here" and will go in by themselves as it starts to get dark. If we aren't going to be home, we open the coop door but not the barn door. They hang in the barn all day and when we come back well after dark, they are all sleeping on the roosts in the coop and we latch their door.

I am fascinated at how many "intuitive" behaviors they exhibit. Must be buried deep in their brains ... like breathing.

Bruce

 

[old1953]

Last coop I built I cut three small hickory poles long enough to reach across the coop, and nailed two of them to the braces about four feet off the ground for roosts. I then nailed the last one to the big end of the closer one for a walk up. My neighbor was watching and said something like "they'll never walk up that pole". I started to ask him if he wanted to bet me, but one was already halfway up, so I just pointed. That coop had nest boxes extending outside the coop wall, with hinges on the roof so I could just raise it up and get the eggs. The hens sure would complain when I "raised the roof" on them.

 

[Meld75]

That's awesome. Hopefully our coop wills finished today. Here is what it's looks like do far

 

[NewbeeDoo]

Question: How many birds can we fit? We live in South FL and are getting chickens (have 1 chicken) and are building a 8x20' run with a raised 3x8' coop inside it. A friend is giving us 5 chicks and we were thinking about adding a few more to them, but I don't want too many in there at once. I let the bird we have free range a quarter acre most of the day (out at breakfast, in a supper) every day but Sunday when she's only out maybe 3 hours. With summer (rainy season) coming, I'm not sure if you leave the birds outside in thunderstorms? We were planning on continuing this habit with all the birds but we don't want the consequences of overcrowding...what should be our max #?

 

[fishindark814]

Davaroo, I am sorry to intrude but your math is off. You said a tile is a sq foot, this is correct, but then you said to measure four tiles on two sides for a total of 16 tiles? That is 16 sq ft. Each tile is one sq foot. 12" x 12" equals 12 to the second power or squared . For four sq ft it should be 2 tiles by 2 tiles, for a total of 4 tiles, which is exactly 4 sq ft. Don't mean to be mean or anything, just noticed that and didn't want anyone to be misinformed.

I recommend a measuring tape...Measure the length and the width, then multiply to get the square footage of the space, then determine the space you want per chicken. I personally use 4' per chicken and it works out fine for me. But that is just my personal opinion, I have only raised them for a good part of my life.

 

[troub]

thank you for adding that. I was thinking the same thing about the square footage. I have 4 chickens right now that are about 5 weeks old and am getting three more delivered that will be about the same age (I read somewhere that it is better to get them as close in age as you can when putting them together to prevent too much harm). My coop is 8x8 but I sectioned off about 2 1/2 feet of the width to keep my supplies in. The nesting boxes extend into my storage area so they don't take space from the chickens. I am still waiting for my run to be completed (it has been raining a lot and the man that is building it for me is waiting for better weather to come and do it). When the weather was good, I brought them out into the yard with me and kept a real close eye on them, but they are pretty much stuck in the coop most of the time for now. I am having a 10x10 foot run for them built. do you think between the coop and run I am giving them enough space? is the space in the coop ok if they are stuck in there due to bad weather during the winter? I live in Massachusetts and sometimes the winter can dump quite a bit of snow on the ground or it can get blustery and they might have to stay in and I want to be sure I am doing what is best for them. I ask you because it sounds like you have been raising chickens for a long time and I have learned through the years that experience is the best teacher. Thank you. By the way, my chickens are all pretty big breeds, which may play into the space question. I have a Delaware, australorpe, buff orpington, salmon favorelle and am expecting a blue laced red Wyandotte, coronation Sussex and lavender orpington. I love variety

 

[Mamagigi]

I have planned a rotating path for our 4'x4'x3' chicken tractors so that they move 2' every day and won't be going back to an area till 21 days later (hopefully this will allow grass/clover to continue growing there. The coop/nestboxes are converted dogloos to which I've built on top of the tractors with a trapdoor/ramp to allow access. Food will be given through an automatic feeder and water will be sourced from rainbarrels with gravity fed purifiers (on the off chance we have to travel for a day or 2.) Do you think I can get away with having 5 bantams in 1 and a combination of 3 or 4 BO/RIR/BR in another? We're planning on building 3 of them since our dogs refuse to use the dogloos and I don't want to waste them. We have a portable area 35' x 45' that we will let them free range throughout the day and move periodically, but the tractors are to protect them from hawks when I can't be out there due to work and again at night.