Coop Question

[Keene's coop]

i am ordering 6 chicks soon. my coop with run will be 5'Wx12'L. the coop itself would be 5'x4'. i'm only supposed to have 4, but i thought 5 would a safe number to get incase 1-2 chicks die or happen to be roos. if all survive and all females, i may have to rehome one, just incase. but does my coop dimensions sound ok for at least 5 full grown chickens or should i go 5'x5'? the nest box will not be inside of coop, it will be outwards, if you know what i mean. so should i go 5'x4' or 5'x5' for 5 hens?

 

[dacjohns]

Bigger is better. You will want more chickens.

When you say you're only supposed to have four is that based on the size of the coop or on something else like legal restrictions?


This subject gets discussed a lot. There is no magic number. It depends on many things including the temperment of the birds. If it was me I would go as large as I comfortably could but not knowing your situation it is hard to say exactly how large. If your chickens are getting along and don't seem stressed or crowded then you should be OK with either size.

My coop is an old shed with an attached run. It is not elevated, the nest boxes are inside, and when I'm home the chickens run loose in the yard.

 

[gritsar]

A minimum of 4 sq. feet per standard bird, so at 5x4 you have 20 sq. feet, enough for five standards. If you have the choice, make it the 5x5 and give them the extra space.

 

[Keene's coop]

restrictions are only 4. but like i said, i'm sneaking in 5 maybe 6. i think i will make 5'x5'. thanks

 

[RockwaterFarm]

my coop is 5x7 and houses 17 chickens, your coop is plenty big enough.