coop construction and number of hens question

[darncat]

coop/pen almost completed...since the picture was taken it has been stained and getting ready to fill with sand. the pen is 4 x 8 and coop is 4 x 6 with the availability of the hens to go under the pen. How many hens can I have with this size coop. Also it has 6 nesting boxes.

 

[darncat]

As i am brand new to hens I do not want to get more than I should. I was hoping to get RIR's and wondering if 5 of them would work in this setup that I am having built. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Bi0s]

need 4 square feet of coop space for every bird. That would make this coop big enough for 8 birds. They also say about 10 square feet of run space per bird.

 

[darncat]

Thank You !!!

 

[hcarr1234]

That is one fine looking chicken coop!! Great work!Wish I had the plans.

 

[darncat]

Thanks...this is an older pic and have included a small flower bed in the front of pen...may plant some leaf lettuce in it if i can find it. I will share another pic as soon as it is completed. The contractor is coming back today to put in electric. The Hen Hilton as my husband calls it. As i am brand new to the concept of chicken raising i am trying to do my best and not make too many mistakes. I can see that the size of the pen is now too small for the amount of chickens that can be housed in the coop. Learning curve but trying ! Also added wire on the ground that is attached so that critters do not dig in to get the chickens. We had a nasty storm the other night and was worried about a potential water issue but it weathered well !

Still going to put sand in the floor that i got yesterday.

Hope everyone here can bear with me on all my questions.

 

[cptbahama]

If they can go under the henhouse, then 4 x 8 should be added to your 4 x 6 area available for the "run". Which gives you 56 sq ft which translates to 5 standard size hens.
They'll only end up using one of the six nest boxes, from what I've read. I built 3 nest boxes for my 10 birds and they'll probably only use one or two of them.
I second the notion that the design is really nice. The run could be bigger though because the henhouse itself is large enough for 8 hens if you go by the minimum.

 

[Bi0s]

looks great your chickens will be so happy for and ask away with any questions you have you will learn alot from BYC for sure

 

[mcf3kids]

That is a beauty of a coop! Can you also post a pic of the inside of it? I am working on my plans for constructing our coop and this is similar to what I am hoping my DH can build. Taj-ma-chickenhall - very nice!

 

[Wisher1000]

Beautiful and well built coop! I was thinking 4 hens, max. Here's why... you have 4x6 (or 24 sq ft) inside where it is protected from wind, blowing rain, and cold. The recommendation is 4 sq ft per bird inside. That means you have enough room for 6, in theory. Outside, albeit covered, you have 4x8 (32) and 4x6 (24) which is 56 sq ft outside and the recommendation is 10 per bird. You could, in theory have 5 birds. Keep in mind that these are MINIMUM recommendations. If you go with the lower number, you would have to say 5 max. Of course, you would want to make sure your girls are comfortable and have no issues with overcrowding therefore, I would say 4 hens would be just right. Now, if you are going to let them free range in your yard most of the time then you could go up a couple and still be okay, but there may come a time when you are forced to confine them to just this space. Then you are back to 4. Then, there's chicken math, which means this will probably be too small in a few weeks! LOL It happened to all of us! Have fun and keep us posted!