coop and run question

[macbryant]

Hey everyone. OK as of right now i have 2 hens and a chick-n-hutch coop. I have been letting the chicks free range for about 5 hours a day in my fenced in back yard. Well my dog goes out there to and it is getting hard to let them both have their time outside. Well the other day at work i was around back and saw a lean to. It is about 10x10 or so. I am going to get that and put on the back of my shed and attach chicken wire on the outside, and their coop will be on the inside. My question is how many chickens can i get with the coop and run i will have. The coop is about 15 sqft. Also just wondering what I need to put on the ground inside the run, it will be covered, it has clear corrigated tin on top, Thanks and have a great day.

 

[zigzag3337]

Standard size chickens need around 4 sq' each. So a 10x10 (100 sq'/4=25) would be okay for 25 birds. However your coop is only 15 sq' which would be good for only 3 birds. If they roost inside the coop, then only 3. If they roost in the run and not the coop, then I wouldn't have more than 15. Keep in mind that the hens need to be happy to give you the eggs that you are looking for.

I have a 8x12 coop and a 12x36 run with 30 chickens in it and they produce many eggs a day. I had to get rid of one of my roos to make them happy though.

Good Luck

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

You need about 4 sf per standard chicken for the coop and 10 sf per standard chicken for your run.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The way I read this, you will make a run from the 10'x10' lean-to and put a 15 square foot coop inside that. That leaves 85 square feet in the run. The run can handle 8 but the coop can only handle 3 or 4. It would be tight, but I'd probably go with 4 maximum. Keep the nest box (you only need 1) outside the coop in the run to leave as much room as possible in the coop. Feed and water them in the run, not in the coop. It should work out.

You'll get a lot of opinions on what needs to be on the floor of the run. Nothing will grow in it. The chickens will see to that. I favor just scattering a little straw in there for them to play with but mostly bare dirt or sand. Throw in a little fresh cut grass if they cannot free-range but don't let it build up to where it mats. The run does need to drain so rain water does not stand in it. Try a hilltop or the side of a hill. It doesn't take much slope to drain it.

Chicken wire will not stop predators, including your dog. It will keep chickens in but will not keep anything out. You need welded wire or an electrified fence. The chicken wire on the bottom three feet will keep a chicken from sticking its head out of the run where a raccoon can chew it off.

 

[HappyHatch'en]

Good advise from everyone....resulting in happy chickens.
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HappyHatch'en