How much room do I actually need for 4 chickens?

[townchicks]

I have 4 hens in a 4x4 coop, and mine use it only for sleeping and laying. I started with 5in this coop for about a year until one of the hens passed. There was a lot of fussing and jostling about for months when there was 5 in there and one of the girls chose to go back to the small intro coop to sleep instead. So I have a hard time seeing 6 being happy in that size coop. I agree that that you need top level ventilation, the open windows will be great for hot dry weather, but when it cold and damp, and those widows are closed, it will quickly become too humid inside the coop. I'd recommend a much bigger run if you can't let them roam the yard without supervision. Most chickens can get over a 5 foot wall easily, just FYI. Some breeds better than others. Good start, do you have your chicks yet?

 

[Amka]

Sorry for the late reply. I have been working on the coop like crazy because yes, we already have the chicks. Unfortunately, when we were going to "check things out" at our local country store, we came home with chicks and supplies to brood them. They are in the garage. I'm going to start another thread.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Sorry for the late reply. I have been working on the coop like crazy because yes, we already have the chicks. Unfortunately, when we were going to "check things out" at our local country store, we came home with chicks and supplies to brood them. They are in the garage. I'm going to start another thread.

Congratulations! You'll learn as you go!

 

[townchicks]

Sorry for the late reply. I have been working on the coop like crazy because yes, we already have the chicks. Unfortunately, when we were going to "check things out" at our local country store, we came home with chicks and supplies to brood them. They are in the garage. I'm going to start another thread.

That's how a lot of us here got started. Have fun with the little ones.

 

[Chickenlover2009]

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!

Yeah you need 2 to three sq. Feet per bird indoors if you don't have bantams. If you do they only need 1 sq ft. Outdoors they need 8 to ten but more is always good.

 

[Ben Lynnsy]

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.

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?

 

[Ben Lynnsy]

I'm working on getting good photos of common objects that are the same size as the recommendations and figuring out how to give a sense of scale to photos of various sheds on our property.

I also want to make a few more of those "crayon" diagrams to replace stuff I linked off the internet.

I read every word you post, because I am in awe of your monitor coop, and I have enlisted my out of town son to help me with the build. I'm in Greensboro, and I'll probably message you with 100 questions, once we get started. Chicks not til spring, so this will be a process, not an "event".

 

[U_Stormcrow]

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?

Vertical space does not count. *Its useful for ventilation purposes* but for flock behavioral purposes, the only space that counts is space they can walk around and/or scratch on. Which is why we don't count roosting bars in addition to floor space (also, would only add a score square inches in many cases)

 

[Yardmom]

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?

I would

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?

If the upper space is just space above their head, then it does not help. If you make use of the space in a way that some birds can be up and some down it can help some. Even extra roosting help some because it allows the birds more choices on how to deal with their flock mates.

 

[Ben Lynnsy]

I would
If the upper space is just space above their head, then it does not help. If you make use of the space in a way that some birds can be up and some down it can help some. Even extra roosting help some because it allows the birds more choices on how to deal with their flock mates.

then maybe it WILL count a little, because I had planned to put a big branch in the 8x8x6 run, and maybe some ladder-type things that would give them "options".