This is the shape of coop and run in going for- My general measurements- For the coop 4ft tall 4ft long 6ft wide For the run 6ft tall 10ft long 4ft wide My design has 6 nesting boxes How many chickens will this fit?!
Depends on who you ask, but I have heard: 2-4sq ft coop space per chicken (so your coop can handle about 6-12) 5 or 10 sq ft run space per chicken (so your run can handle 8 or 4). And two layers per 1sq ft box (so 12) But I am very interested in what others have to say.
Well, depends if you go by commercial standards which allot about one sheet of paper's space per bird, prefab coop standards that allot anywhere from 2-4 square feet TOTAL between coop and run per bird they *say* you should house in them, or the more commonly accepted general rule of thumb that is to allow 4 sq ft inside and 10 sq ft outside per large fowl bird (it can be adjusted down for bantams if you really feel the need) -- but, ultimately, rather than looking at any space and asking yourself how many birds you can shoe-horn into it, it's best to consider "how much space can I give my birds" because there really is no such thing as giving them too much space, and many negative outcomes that can come from giving them too little. Climate plays a big part in the needs of your flock - a climate that is frequently inclement and would encourage birds to stay indoors require more space inside - climates that are more likely to see the flock outside for the majority of the year, using the coop for roosting and egg-laying only makes the amount of space inside less important than the space outside. I provide one nest box per every 4 hens - with a minimum of 2 boxes for any flock over two birds.
Assuming it's 4x4 without the nest boxes and the run is 40 sq ft, 4 chickens is the max for standard size hens. 6 nest boxes is completely unnecessary, so you could remove the partitions and maybe use some of the extra space from that for feeders/waterers or to give the chickens a little extra wing room.
Ditto. Crowding can lead to behavior issues. FWIW, the chicken area in our coop is 8' x 9' for 6 chickens and I wouldn't add more than maybe 2. We have 3 nesting boxes and they pretty much only use 2 of them.
