Chicken math and coop size.

[mtma]

5 hens hatched a lot of eggs while we were out of town, shortly before our long-awaited order arrived. We now have 60 birds, too many for our two coops, 16x7 and 4x6. About 10 are cockerels who won't be staying. We get a couple weeks of real cold in Montana winters, but otherwise they free range on about an acre. What should our goal number be??

 

[JacinLarkwell]

How large are the runs? Based on just the provided coop floor space, about 34. But that's give or take depending on the temperament of the birds, their size (bantam, small standard or large standard) and the size of the runs

 

[mtma]

How large are the runs? Based on just the provided coop floor space, about 34. But that's give or take depending on the temperament of the birds, their size (bantam, small standard or large standard) and the size of the runs

Run size is big. Maybe 1000 sq feet? With free range access to an acre. Small standard and standard size birds. I think we will start by rehoming last year's chicks.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Run size is big. Maybe 1000 sq feet? With free range access to an acre. Small standard and standard size birds. I think we will start by rehoming last year's chicks.

So that run could hold all of them. What breeds are the small standards? Leghorns, sexlinks, pheonixes?

 

[mtma]

Some smaller easter/olive eggers, sex links, astrolorps, legbar mixes. Its just that we have about 3 weeks of subzero temps that they don't want to go out in. Standards - orpingtons, barred rock, marans, Wyandotte

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Alright between those breeds, I would do maybe a max of 38 birds, but 34 if you have multiple males in a group.

I wouldn't put more than 6 or 7 in the smaller one, though to be fair mines about the same size and I've got like 11 that stay in there just fine

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Alright between those breeds, I would do maybe a max of 38 birds, but 34 if you have multiple males in a group.

I wouldn't put more than 6 or 7 in the smaller one, though to be fair mines about the same size and I've got like 11 that stay in there just fine

I'm in the same state so I get how bad winters are

 

[mtma]

Alright between those breeds, I would do maybe a max of 38 birds, but 34 if you have multiple males in a group.

I wouldn't put more than 6 or 7 in the smaller one, though to be fair mines about the same size and I've got like 11 that stay in there just fine

Thank you. Yes, we have found 6 or 7 to be the magic number in the small coop.

 

[Danielpn]

I think I would shoot for about 35 in the big coop, and reserve the small coop for special projects. such as rearing youngsters or isolating bullies.