- Apr 28, 2013
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I say have 4 nesting boxes and make they coop as big as possible.
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I know this is a old thread but it seems like you have a similar situation as me. I am a newb, we have a plan for a 4 x 8 coop they will only be in the coop at night for sleep or laying. The weather where I live will only require them to be locked up 2 to 5 times a year. The run is going to be very large unsure how many square feet yet and they will be able to free range when I am home. I work part time so that is a lot. I can double the coop plan but that seems really large for 8 bantam chickens the only thing I worry about is chicken math but I can add on later or do I need to convince him I need him to build me a bigger coop!? I would rather the run be large and the coop be ok for sleep.The size of the coop (or run) you will need varied by your circumstance. Especially the breed you choose and the weather. We have two 4'x6 ' hoop style portable runs that we move around put over our raised garden beds between crops. We use these because we can't give the hens free range in this unfenced part of our yard. The portables are comfortable for 2 standard size hens but only for a few hours while they are "working" because once the soil has been worked they get listless and start pacing and squawking.
We have 9 hens in a 6x7 coop with two nest boxes. This would be way too small if they spent any time in it at all. But it works because then are never shut in all day, there is only 4-5 days when it rains so much that they need to stay in the covered run (125 sq ft), and seldom more than a day or two in a five year period that they couldn't be outside at all. The only time the ladies go into the coop is to use the nest boxes and to sleep.
As for nest boxes We started off with two "community" nest boxes but one has been converted to storage since they all lay in which ever box the first one uses that day. We divided it into two so we have one in case a hen goes broody.
How I understood it, your tractor (run and coop space combined) is 4X10. So IMO a 4x10 tractor is ok for 5-6 confined standard size hens as long as it's moved frequently so they have something to occupy themselves otherwise it will only accommodate 3 or 4.
What is your climate like? How many days/weeks a year will you have snow on the ground and are bad storms common? Will you free range your hens? What breed do you have in mind and large fowl or bantam? If you get quite a lot of snow you will need 4sq feet per large fowl chicken so 10 hens (your higher number) would need 40 sq feet so a 6x7 or 6x6 coop would be ideal. If you are like me and have a mild climate (I'm in Ireland) you can get away with as little as 1 sq feet per bird but I prefer 1.5 - 2sq feet so a 4x5 or 4x4 coop would be great. This does all depend on the questions I first asked, calmer birds need less space, bantams need considerably less. You will also need a minimum of 10sq feet per bird in their run, but the bigger the better.