confussed?

[mommyoftwo]

I'm.confused on why chicken need so much sq footage in their coop if they spend their time outside and sleep on roost in only a small spot? Why does 18 chicken need a 7 by 8 foot coop? How tall does it need to be? Can you place a shelf on part of the wall and increase sq ft?

 

[onewing]

I have 13 in a much smaller coop an they are free range im not sure why so much is required

 

[MoonShadows]

If they have a large run or are free ranged, and are outdoors the whole day, they probably don't need as large a coop since they will only be sleeping there. However, if you live in an area that receives a lot of unpleasant weather...rain, snow, freezing temps...you might find you are keeping them in the coop more (or they aren't coming out as much), and then you will need a larger coop that gives them at least 4 square feet each.

 

[mommyoftwo]

They will have a 24 by 10 run during the spring and summer and then will have a 40 by 13 for winter. I live in southern Michigan and I don't think it that bad of winters. Temps in the 30s with little slow fall unless we have a snow storm....but I plan on covering part of their run to keep the snow out. Most winds here blow from the south into my used and I have put up a 6 ft wooden fence. Last year the year belong to the puppies and only had about 8 inches of snow in their. How cold is too cold for chickens? Why isn't a smaller coop better for body heat then if they don't go out in winter? I have yet to bulod my final coop right now they are 8 to 9 weeks old and live in a dog house turned coop.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

Below is a link to a wonderful response from a BYC member on why there is a 4 sq. ft. per chicken guideline for coop space. I'd try to give them as much space as possible. As an example, Tropical Storm Andrea blew through here yesterday, dumping us with tons of rain and my girls decided to spend the most of the day in the coop.

Hope this is helpful> https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...3x3x3-what-problems-might-arise#post_10834873

 

[fiddlebanshee]

If they stay in the coop in the winter and they are too crowded they will start pecking and bullying each other. The bullied chickens have no way of escaping the bullies. Death can result. Between 3 and 4 sq ft inside would be enough to make this less likely to happen.

My philosophy is to build to the maximum that you can afford. It's never too big, it's most always too small, but you can aim to maximize the space you can afford.

Here is my setup:
16 hens in a 7x8 coop. No fighting and they can hangout in there for days on end if they have to. They initially only had an fully enclosed secure run of 20x30. This was too small. It's bare dirt and rocks at this point. Then I enclosed a larger area (about almost half an acre) in electronet so that they can freerange during the day. It's still not enough. They have almost scratched it bare.

 

[JackE]

It's not so much the cold itself, that is the problem. Chickens can handle some serious cold. What the problem is, is the huge amounts of humidity/moisture chickens put out just by breathing. In too small a space, with poor ventilation, that moisture in cold weather will freeze in a coop. Frosting up, not just the inside of the coop, but the birds themselves, to the point of frostbite. I've read on this forum of coop doors frozen shut from the inside caused by insufficient ventilation and overcrowding. Don't fall into the trap of thinking small, tight and cozy is a good idea for a coop. It needs to be roomy, and MOST importantly, WELL ventilated.
Also, if too many chickens are confined in too tight a space, they can get kinda crabby. To the point of canibalism. They do not like living like sardines. My birds, when it snows, won't even come out of the coop unless a clear an area for them. That's not a problem with light snow. But a couple of years ago, we got almost 3' dumped on us. So they spent over a week in there. But, they had plenty of room, so there was no problem. The link below is a neat old book about fresh air and chickens. Got the idea for my coop from that book.
Jack
http://archive.org/stream/openairpoultryho00wood#page/n0/mode/2up

 

[aart]

Great Answers!! Bravo to Moon, mtn, fiddle and Jack!!

 

[salt and pepper]

What about in north GA, were we don't get snow, and the weather rarely get below freezing at night? Is 2-3 square feet OK?

 

[JackE]

What about in north GA, were we don't get snow, and the weather rarely get below freezing at night? Is 2-3 square feet OK?

2-3 square feet can work. Buuuuuut, still ensure you have plenty of ventilation. Because it does go to freezing there, and you could end up with a frosty coop. Another problem in small, poorly ventilated coops, is that the air quality itself is lousy. Not only with CO2, but ammonia from their waste. That opens your birds up to various respiratory problems. You really need good fresh air exchange.
Jack