Coop size 4x3x4. how many hens?

[Tigerlilly77]

How many laying hens can fit comfortably in a 4' by 3' by 4' coop?
This is for the coop only not including the run. Thanks

 

[jfeathers09]

They say it depends on the size of the chicken when it's full grown. Figure 2 to 2.5 square feet per chicken. When buy your chicken see what much space they suggest

 

[junebuggena]

Is the coop 4 feet tall or 3 feet tall? If it's 3 feet tall, then you have 16 sq ft. That's enough room for 4 Leghorn or other medium sized breeds or 3 large, dual purpose breeds. If it's 4 feet tall, then you have 12 sq ft; which is enough room for 3 medium sized breeds or 2 large breed.

 

[tjo804]

Ummm the 2 - 2.5 space is for the roost I believe

You will want to figure at least 4 sq ft. per adult chicken of floor space in the coop with at least 10 sq ft of space in the run.

so a 4 x 3 coop will hold about 3 chickens

Remember More space = Less fighting

 

[Ridgerunner]

It depends on so many different things no one can give you a realistic answer without knowing a whole lot more than you’ve told us. What is the coop used for? Is it just a place for them to sleep at night so it is just for roosts or do you plan to feed and water in there, have nests in there along with the roosts? Try doing a layout just to see if you have enough physical room in there for what you plan. You do not want them pooping in water or feed from the roosts.

Will they be locked up in there for any length of time or will they have access to the run 24/7? That access to the run is not just whether you let them out when they are awake but also includes weather. Will weather deny them access to the outside much if the time? Chickens don’t look at it as if this is coop space and this is run space, they just see what total space is available when they need it. When do they need it? Pretty much when they are awake. If they are crowded that can spark conflict and when there is conflict they suddenly need a lot more room. If you are there at the crack of dawn 365 days a year to let them out you can have more than if you like to sleep in on a Saturday or when you have the flu. How do you handle that when you leave town overnight for a wedding, funeral, visit relatives, or take your kids to Disneyland? 365 days a year, not just when you feel like it.

Having all hens the same age helps a lot but if you ever plan to integrate new chickens, especially immature chickens, your need for extra room just went way up. There are a lot of different things to consider.

In general the more I crowd mine the more behavioral problems I have to deal with, the harder I have to work, and the less flexibility I have to manage issues as they come up. You might follow the link in my signature to get some of my thoughts on space but I don’t give you any magic numbers. I try to give you things to think about. Instead of thinking about how many chickens can I force in this space, why not look at is as how many chickens I want and then provide enough room for them.

I know this is not what you are looking for. You want a 2.5, 3, or 4 square foot number (all magic numbers often seen on this forum) but I just can’t give you that. When your space is as limited as yours I’d be very careful about getting too many chickens.

 

[Tigerlilly77]

Ridgerunner
I'm not limited to that size. Let me be more specific and get your thoughts. Six chickens: 2 leghorns, 1 Orpington, 1 ameraucana, 1 dominique, 1 Plymouth Rock (I think). I live in central california, mild winters. Run size is 6' by 12', food and water in run. The coop is open daily 7/365 around 6. They free range m-f from around 4:30 till they put themselves in bed, the weekends it's most of the day. More chickens will not be added. Coop will be for nesting and sleeping only. Factoring all this in what size coop would you build? Thank you

 

[junebuggena]

I would build it bigger than you 'need' it to be. No one ever complains about their coop being too big. I'd build it either 5x6 or 4x8. It's better to have a larger coop just in case you do need to leave them in the coop for one reason or another. It's easier to build it bigger the first time around then trying to get away with a smaller coop and end up with overcrowding issues. Once started, stress related overcrowding behaviors can be difficult to stop. I would also make the run a bit bigger. The bigger you make the run, the longer it will take them to turn it into nothing but dirt. Even though you have mild winters, you still get nasty storms when the chickens would rather be inside then out in the wind and rain.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I’d look at a 4’ x 8’. That’s bigger than the bare minimum you need but most building materials come in 4’ or 8’ sections if you are buying them new. By using those dimensions you can usually build a coop with minimum waste and no real greater expense. The extra room does give you some flexibility. If you are using materials that come in a different size than the standard, consider that.