Will it work?

[JackE]

My chickens spend almost no time at all in their coop. They go in at sundown, they come out at sunrise. The height of the coop and plenty of perches makes up for the 4x4 size. They sleep together or separate according to their preferences. Some are loners and roost alone on high perches. Some are close and bunk together in a nesting box. I do not consider this cruel. They're asleep. Protracted confinement would be a completely different thing, and they would need much more space. They have an automatic chicken door, so no one has to wait around for me to get up and open to coop. They go out to free range. Never had any problem with fights or disease.

Sure, that's what my birds do for most of the year, stay out all day. But here, where we get snow, especially in Mi., sometimes you get A LOT of it. And the chickens, mine anyways, will not come out of their coop. They may stay in there for a week, or more. And they better have some elbow room in their coop, or they will get a bit crabby.
Now, if you want to get out there, and clear an area for them, then they would probably come out. That's what I found, after I cleared everything else, and cleared an area for them. Seems, with their short legs, they don't do so well in deep snow, so they will avoid it.

 

[Nuzzy]

Why am I "just being funny" that is how I and everyone I know that keeps poultry makes vents and if you re d the answer right you block off all but two holes to keep wind out but you still have to keep some air circulating. I have 12 hens living happily in a 4 x 4 hen house. Personally I think the 2 square feet per bird rule is madness.

Unless you have substantially large holes, the square inches of ventilation available would be nowhere near the requirement for 12 birds. I agree the requirement for coop space diminishes when a large run or free ranging is available. It'd be nice to have adequate ventilation for the cube of birds though.