how much room do chickens need? Im not sure how many im getting but I do know they will be fenced in. This will help me know how many chicken I can get.
Large-fowl (standard) sized chickens need at least 2-3 square feet of inside coop space, and bantams (smaller chickens) need at least 1-2 feet of inside space. If possible, each bird should also have at least 5 square feet of outdoor run space. To a certain extent, more room is better. However, don't give each bird too much of indoor space, as that will make it difficult for them to stay warm in cold weather.
Chickens should have at least two square feet each. This is the minimum amount of space, and often times isn't enough room. I'd give them four or more square feet, especially if you get large fowl. Ideally, you want them to have access to outside. Each chicken should have about five square feet of outside run space, though the more you can give them, the better.
Hello and Welcome to BYC! Don't forget to check out the articles in BYCs learning center under Housing and Feeding your chickens. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/housing-and-feeding-your-chickens
'Ive been told rule of thumb is 4 sq.feet indoors per bird, and 10 sq.feet outdoors per bird. Bantams would be somewhat less.
The basic rule of thumb is indeed 4sf indoors (not including anything you have sitting on the floor such as feeders/waterers, nesting boxes etc.) and 10sf outdoors. If you want to go all out technical, you can check out the standards for "certified humane" poultry care here: http://www.certifiedhumane.org/index.php?page=standards They cover just about ever aspect of housing needs for poultry including coop size, run size, bedding, nesting boxes, roost length (7" per bird), distance to next lower roosting bar (if using more than one they should be 12" down and 18" apart vertically if I remember right). Welcome to BYC! Hope this information proves helpful!
