I have a 3-sided barn that is 12x36 that I'm considering converting to a chicken coop (partially at least). The barn is only 8 years old, used for horses originally but have gotten out of the horse business since. The basic though is to enclose one of the 12x12 stalls into a coop. The barn is about 16' at the front and planning on leaving the top couple of feet on the front and one side open for venting and just running hardware cloth around the top. I'll attach a run with some chain link fence (not great against small predators I know, but I have a couple hundred feet of it laying around just taking up space and I'm confident in the eventual coop being secure. The barn is close to my house so day time predators can be dealt with via gunshot). Basic run can be relatively large with the available chain link, and I'll cut some sections to place on the ground to slow down digging predators until I can put them down.
My concerns are:
How many chickens should be houses in a 12(w)x12(l)x16(h) coop? I know there is a general thought of 4' per bird indoors. Right now I have 7 birds with no real plans to greatly expand. Maybe another dozen, so we're talking 12-20 bird range. I've read threads here that suggest that too big of a coop can be a problem in cold temperatures since the birds can't warm the area? Should I plan on more birds or would I be ok? I'm fine with either really since I wouldn't mind using the space for birds since most hatchery orders are 25, but if I can give my flock plenty of room, I'm great with that also. Just looking for advice.
Second concern. Bedding and odor and such. Right now, In my little 4x8 pallet coop I use a deep litter method and never smell anything from the chickens. The coop is probably 30' from my house and the new set-up will be roughly the same . My question I guess is if I end up getting say, 30 birds - what type of bedding/maintenance would you suggest to prevent odor from being a problem. Again, I'm fine with whatever works. I've only ever used a deep litter method as I've always had a small flock (never more than 8 at a time). If deep litter would continue to work, great. How is sand? Not just for litter and odor control, but also for the comfort of the birds? Does it get too cold in winter for example?
My concerns are:
How many chickens should be houses in a 12(w)x12(l)x16(h) coop? I know there is a general thought of 4' per bird indoors. Right now I have 7 birds with no real plans to greatly expand. Maybe another dozen, so we're talking 12-20 bird range. I've read threads here that suggest that too big of a coop can be a problem in cold temperatures since the birds can't warm the area? Should I plan on more birds or would I be ok? I'm fine with either really since I wouldn't mind using the space for birds since most hatchery orders are 25, but if I can give my flock plenty of room, I'm great with that also. Just looking for advice.
Second concern. Bedding and odor and such. Right now, In my little 4x8 pallet coop I use a deep litter method and never smell anything from the chickens. The coop is probably 30' from my house and the new set-up will be roughly the same . My question I guess is if I end up getting say, 30 birds - what type of bedding/maintenance would you suggest to prevent odor from being a problem. Again, I'm fine with whatever works. I've only ever used a deep litter method as I've always had a small flock (never more than 8 at a time). If deep litter would continue to work, great. How is sand? Not just for litter and odor control, but also for the comfort of the birds? Does it get too cold in winter for example?