Conflicting information on coop size and number of birds

I was thinking 6 in a 4x6 or fewer to start out for us because of our winters... I wanted to add a question that's kind of related to the original one.
Should you offer more space per bird if you want to keep a rooster in the flock?
 
A rooster can add a different level of flock ranking to the mix, and some roosters are picky about which birds they allow around them etc, so having more room is always a good things. When I added a rooster to my flock, I added another roosting bar to the coop, and this let everyone find a new sleeping spot now that a new king was in town.
 
I know this question has been asked on here a million times but as I do my search I seem to get different answers. I have a 4X4X3 coop that I just built. They will be able to be out during the day in about a quarter acre. I will have two roosts, each being about 4 feet long. I have heard that all that matters is square footage of the floor, I have heard that if they are free to walk outside during the day that all they need is 1 foot of roost space/bird. I have heard 4 square feet per bird and 2 square feet per bird. I am wondering what you guys think I could have for numbers in this sized coop? Thanks!
-Dave

Dave - If you are in CT, and winter is coming, you may want to allow the birds some extra floor space. I had to increase my space as my chicks became hens and they took up more space on their roost. We had to lengthen our roost space to accommodate the larger birds. I have 4 Red sex links and they take up quite a bit of space in their coop. It is about the size of yours. We are planning on enlarging it before the cold months. You mentioned free ranging. Do you have a covered run for them in case the weather gets bad and they want to be covered? I have a covered run for them. They don't even like the rain. For the winter, I will fix my run so I can protect them from the cold winter winds and rain by covering the sides of the run with heavy duty plastic that will allow the sunshine to come in and warm the run area naturally. I also have some heavy movers pads to drape down over the coop and run if the weather gets really cold here in SC. We have cold fronts which can really adjust our temps form the 60 + to freezing 32 or less in just a matter of hours. So I know I have to be prepared for the unexpected.

If you can, find another chicken raiser in your area and ask questions. They will be more than happy to help you with suggestions on winterizing your coop and flock and their suggestions will meet your needs. Hope this helps. J
 

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