Advice on coop and run capacity

[valentinebaby]

You will get a variety of answers to any question - my opinion is watch your chickens and trust your instincts - you'll know when they're not happy. But do a bunch of research as to proper square footage - you don't want there to be too little that will cause them to bicker and set in bad habits early on that they probably won't outgrow. If you don't want to purchase any books, go to the library and do some research. I got most of my knowledge from an old English book I've listed on my BYC page. I think the main footage issue in the coop is plenty of room on the roost. With that being said, they all seem to want to squat on the one that's the smallest and closest to the door - go figure. I also think more square footage is important outside, where they spend most of their waking hours. Since I can't let them free range unsupervised anymore due to bobcats and owl losses, I've added an additional enclosed "play area" using wire gating next to their enclosed run that I open up at least 4 days a week or more as a "treat". Mine now have well over 30-40 s.f. outside per hen, but only about 12-15 in their permanent run. I'm planning on adding more permanent and separate play areas next year that I can seed and grow grass on to rotate them through over the season - they do love to tear up grass! Good luck!

Gail

 

[teach1rusl]

It's next to impossible to give you a "correct" suggestion, because it really depends on how you view your chickens (purpose/importance of comfort/etc.). Going by the often recommended BYC general rule of thumb minimum sq. footage per bird, it would be around 16 birds. There are many who would say your coop/run size could hold quite a few MORE birds than that...but to me that leans more toward commercial poultry house conditions...YUCK!
Personally, I agree with shopchicks...I like my birds to be comfortable and have ample room...above and beyond the minimum "guidelines." So 10 birds would be the maximum number of LF birds I would keep in that size coop/run.

 

[OkChickens]

An 8x8 coop can only hold 16 chickens Max. That is only 4 sq ft per bird. I have a 20x35 coop with a 15x35 run with 52 chickens. I thought about getting more chickens but I want them to have a lot of room more than 14 sq ft per bird they each have about 45 sq ft each. I don't free range but I'm thinking about it. Ventilation is very important in your coop. Try to increase this without making your coop drafty.

-Nate

 

[cairopd1069]

Thanks for all the responses. I have decided to keep between 10-15 chickens at the most. As soon as I can, I will sell the rest to some local folks.