2 important questions

[BuddyT]

First question is Woud an 8x8x10h coop and a 12.5x12.5 run be good for 30 birds? possibily more? ( im still in the planning phases)

Also how can i keep Hawks out of my run? any top would need tto be 6.5 feet high how could i dothis?

 

[wava1vaughn]

Hi from Ga 8x8 30 birds would be stacked 2 high. Unless there Bantams. That size coop would be for about 16 birds at the most and better for maybe 10 birds. My coop for my layers is 8x8 with a 4x8 bump out . My layers are extremely big birds ( Australian Light Sussex ) Its a real tight fit for them. but they free range all day so only need the coop to lay their eggs and sleep at night.

 

[catsew]

My friends coop is that size and she has 11 hens and 4 roosters and its not big enough.

 

[chickenbythesea]

our coop is about the same size and we have 9 pullets in there and at first I thought it was tons of room... now I'm a little worried for the winter... it's going to be snug. I would never put 30 in it... they'd be so stressed.

 

[Noymira]

I think that's a little small. I have a 10' x 10' coop and wouldn't put more than 20 in that (even that would be snug).

If you go by the standard 4sq/ft per bird for the coop and 10sq/ft per bird in the run you'd be maxing out at 16 birds.

Of course, there are many variables- will they be free ranging at all? Do you have long snowy winters that would keep them locked inside? What breeds do you have?

With a mild climate and free ranging you might get away with a few more in there. If you have long winters and lots of snow, overcrowding is likely to result in problems.

Edit to add: I just saw your question about the run cover. Many people use flight netting (can be expensive), welded wire or plastic deer netting for the top. I have plastic deer netting over mine now (it's cheap), but I know that will come down in the snow, so I'm looking for an alternative to put in place later this fall.

 

[bow-chicka-bow-bow]

I agree with the other posts that an 8x8 would be too small for that many birds. As for a run cover, I have a metal roof over mine. It covers both the coop and run. I don't let mine free range because my dogs would just want to chase them around, so they stay in the run and this way, if it rains, they don't get wet. I also use hardware cloth and not chicken wire because chicken wire is too flimsy and racoons and other "varmits' can stretch it or tear it to get into the run.

 

[stcroixusvi]

It really depends on where you live and how often you can let the birds out. We have a 7 x 7 and have 22 birds. I never intended to keep them all. But what we did was give the coop a second story, so they have another 7 x 4 ft floor. And they are out all day, so they really just roost and sometimes eat in the coop. Also, our 26 x 10 ft run has plenty of diversions, hiding places, and roosting spots, however, we are already planning an extension.

We used chicken wire over the top to keep out the predatory birds.

 

[stevesoileau]

Can't really tell how your coop and run are set up by your picture but on the subject of a cover, I bought a black mesh tarp from harbor freight to cover my 10' x 30' run. I just streched it across the top and used bungee cords to keep it taught.

 

[Carolyn252]

You need to know how to do the math so you can figure it out on your own for any size coop that you might think about building.

Adult, standard size, (not bantam) chickens need four square feet of floor space for each bird.

If the floor is 4 feet long by 4 feet wide, just multiply those two numbers to get the square footage. 4 X 4 = 16 square feet.

Your coop's floor is 8 feet by 8 feet.

If the coop floor is 8 feet long by 8 feet wide, that's 64 square feet. 8 X 8 = 64

If the coop floor is 4 feet wide by 16 feet wide, that's the same floor space as 8 by 8. 4 X 16 = 64.

If the coop floor is 3 feet wide by 21.33 feet wide, that's also the same floor space as above. 3 X 21.33 = 63.99 square feet. (Less than an inch smaller than your coop.)

Once you know the coop's floor's square footage, just divide that number by 4, to get the number of birds that can fit in that coop. (Because each standard size breed adult bird needs four square feet of space.)

So a 64 square foot floor can hold, at most, 16 birds. Those are basic minimum space requirements. (More space means less squabbling. )

Adult bantams are smaller birds and don't need quite that much space.

 

[BuddyT]

Sorry, I was working under the miss-understanding that each bird needed 2sqft. in the coop and 4sqft. in the run. I thank you all for stearing me clearly in the correct direction. can some one tell me how many sqft. is required for Bantam? Thank you again.