Am I crazy!?

[tracecom]

I'm in the process of figuring out what coop size to build. I'm reading everywhere that I need X square feet per bird. For the sake of the calculation let's say 4 square feet per bird. Let's say I want to have 3 chickens. The next thing I'm reading everywhere is that that calculation is 4 feet X 3 birds, or 12 square feet of floor space for my coop. I'm thinking that is incorrect. I'm thinking it's 4 feet X 4 feet (four square feet) x 3 birds or 48 square feet of floor space. Am I crazy? Bottom line I think I need to build a coop with a floor space that is 6 X 8 feet (48 square feet). Anyone else out there having problems understanding this chicken math?

You are confusing square feet with cubic feet. Here's the math.

3 chickens
times 4 square feet per chicken (in the coop)
equals 12 square feet of floor space (in the coop)
so a coop that is 3 feet by 4 feet would be perfect

3 chickens
times 10 square feet per chicken (in the run)
equals 30 square feet of ground (in the run)
so a run that is 5 feet by 6 feet would be perfect

Now, as to all this advice about building bigger, there is some truth that some people get a few (say 3) chickens, and then want more, or they get 10 chickens and want even more. However, that is not always the case. Some people get 10 chickens and realize that they have to be fed and watered 365 days per year. Or they get tired of cleaning up the 5 gallons of poop that their chickens produce every week. Or they don't want to keep paying for the 20 pounds of food that their chickens eat each week. Or even some of them don't know what to do with the 48 eggs they get each week.

On the other hand, lots of people do want more and more chickens. I bought some buff orp chicks from a woman that had over 400 chickens roaming all over her property.

So, think it through before you get more chicks than you really want over the long haul. Yes, there are ways of disposing of unwanted chickens, but some of them aren't pretty.

Good luck.

 

[dekel18042]

Plan on one, build for 30.

I started with one found rooster in July and now have 13 other adults, 17 chicks, and 23 more chicks on order. Building a new coop soon. Didn't plan on one, much less 50

Chicken math in action!

 

[TClay]

Thanks all!

 

[chickendude81]

Just 2 let u know u dont have 2 catch the non-reversible symptoms of chicken physiology and u can have 2-3 birds and b happy. If that's your cup of tea then run with it!If not u are an associate of sales and u can't stop the **** it start's.lots of chickens!