Chicken Coop Size 60-65 chickens.

[Semperfi]

I have read many of the posts in regards to coop size and I have some questions. I have 60 chicks in a brooder in my garage that I am going to put outside soon. I would like to build a coop that's 8x16 which will roughly give my chickens 2 Sq ft of coop size (about half of the size everyone recommends. The run is going to be huge, probably 150'x150'. Going to try and get 5 or 6 roosters and the rest as hens, used primarily for eggs and the occasional meat bird.

With that said what will the down side be to having a smaller coup? The area I live in restricts the size of out building you can build. I live in western Washington so our weather is pretty mild, lots of rain, but not to much cold/hot extremes. What are some of the negatives to have a coop that size. As I start to lay it out it just seems like more than enough room but I could be wrong.

Your thoughts....

 

[AmericanMom]

I have read many of the posts in regards to coop size and I have some questions. I have 60 chicks in a brooder in my garage that I am going to put outside soon. I would like to build a coop that's 8x16 which will roughly give my chickens 2 Sq ft of coop size (about half of the size everyone recommends. The run is going to be huge, probably 150'x150'. Going to try and get 5 or 6 roosters and the rest as hens, used primarily for eggs and the occasional meat bird.

With that said what will the down side be to having a smaller coup? The area I live in restricts the size of out building you can build. I live in western Washington so our weather is pretty mild, lots of rain, but not to much cold/hot extremes. What are some of the negatives to have a coop that size. As I start to lay it out it just seems like more than enough room but I could be wrong.

Your thoughts....

Im not an expert to be sure, but if your building it smaller than the recommended size I believe what you can expect is more fighting.. Chickens need space, they will hurt/kill each other.. I have a total of 31 chickens, 17 are three months old and still roost in there own coop that runs along side the older hens coop, they all free range during the day but they have a half acre in which to roam. Still with as much space in the coop there is a lot of jostling in the PM for the best roost and more than one chicken gets pecked and forced to move before they all settle down. We will be closing the younger chickens out of the separate run/coop within the next few weeks but not before we add 6x10 onto the larger coop.

 

[donrae]

The issues I can see right off are any time you'll need to confine the flock, or they self confine. Bad weather is a big one. My birds do go out in the rain, but not as much. They spend a lot more time in the coop in bad weather. With a run that large, I don't see how it can be completely predator proof, so you may need to confine at some point while you deal with predator issues. Unless you have an auto door, or get up at the butt crack of dawn each day, they'll be confined while awake in the early am or maybe in the pm, depending on your schedule.

Overcrowding leads to a host of issues. Pecking, fighting, poor laying, decreased resistance to disease and parasites, cannibalism. Healthy, happy flocks need lots of space. It's great you're having such a large run, but I'm thinking you're going to need some more indoor area. If you have restrictions on size, multiple coops would be the way to go. You can even have them share the same run, that's not an issue, just that they each have enough space to get out of the weather. Plus, at 2 feet per bird, you're going to have a very difficult time having enough roosting space, you'd have roosts over your nest boxes to fit everyone, and that leads to poopy boxes. My birds take up a good 2 feet each on a roost, just to get up there, turned the way they want and get settled down.

With our warm, wet weather we also need to have lots of ventilation, that would be an issue with that many birds in such a small building. I think the moisture build up would be significant.

One good comparison is....think of spending all the time you're in the house in your bathroom. Your entire family is either outside or in the bathroom, together. No space to spread out or get away from each other. I'd sure start pecking someone!

 

[Trefoil]

Like Americanmom says, aggression is going to be your main problem, that and keeping it clean. BUT, if you have mild weather you can alleviate this by building a predator proof run and not locking them in the coop. It would make your life a lot easier. Put roosts in both your run and your coop.

 

[Joshua G]

Like Americanmom says, aggression is going to be your main problem, that and keeping it clean. BUT, if you have mild weather you can alleviate this by building a predator proof run and not locking them in the coop. It would make your life a lot easier. Put roosts in both your run and your coop.

x2 Put roosts outside too.

If you have mild weather then 2 sq feet per bird should be fine, it worked for me.