Coop size help!

Date sort Score sort
Jmans chickens

Jmans chickens

Hatching
Jul 6, 2015
3
0
9
I need to know if my coop and run will support 4 full size hens and 1 silkie. The coop is 4x4 and is elevated 2 feet. The run is 4x10 (6 feet of the run is actually under the coop/nesting boxes). Do I need to limit it to 3 full size hens and 1 silkie? We are considering a Silver Laced Wyandotte, Golden Laced Wyandotte, Black Australorp and a silkie. I would like a 4th full size laying hen but I have a feeling my coop is too small. I live in southwest Missouri.
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! There is a great article in the Learning Center on figuring out how much space you need for the birds you want https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-much-room-do-chickens-need Generally it is recommended that you have 4 square feet in the coop and 10 in the run for each standard bird. (Not counting floor space taken up by nesting boxes/ food / water etc)... bigger is usually better, especially if you live where the birds will be kept in the coop for extended periods of time because of the weather... so your coop is on the small side for 4 birds. Also, Silkies are usually fairly submissive birds and are often picked and have their crests especially plucked on by more dominant birds in a flock, especially if they are at all crowded... you if you get a silkie, you might want to be prepared to keep her separate.
 
Your coop will be just big enough for 4 medium sized hens like Leghorns or other white egg laying types. Brown egg layers are larger birds and need more room accordingly. Wyandottes and Australorps need about 5 sq ft in the coop. Your's would be big enough for 3. Silkies only need about 2 sq ft in the coop.
 
Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. With four standard breeds and a Silkie, your coop/run is going to be a bit on the tight side and your birds are likely to feel overcrowded. I would recommend either reducing the number of birds in your flock to three, or else figuring out some way to expand the size of your coop/run as overcrowding can quickly lead to aggression, fights, biting and feather plucking, and even cannibalism. As Kelsie 2290 said, bigger is better where coops/runs are concerned. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in getting your flock.
 
Thank you all so much for the help! Well, I picked up the girls today. We got a Silver Laced Wyandotte, Buff Orpington, Easter Egger, and a Barred Rock. They are about 4 weeks old now....my kids absolutely adore them and they are already seemingly comfortable being around us. I am most likely going to extend our run out a little bit to get it closer to 40 square feet. Somehow between now and say, November, I am going to figure out a way to extend my coop.
400

I am so glad I found BYC....I sure do appreciate the help!
 
Last edited:
Jmans chickens said:
Thank you all so much for the help! Well, I picked up the girls today. We got a Silver Laced Wyandotte, Buff Orpington, Easter Egger, and a Barred Rock. They are about 4 weeks old now....my kids absolutely adore them and they are already seemingly comfortable being around us. I am most likely going to extend our run out a little bit to get it closer to 40 square feet. Somehow between now and say, November, I am going to figure out a way to extend my coop.
I am so glad I found BYC....I sure do appreciate the help!
Click to expand...

You're welcome. Your extension plan is a good idea. :eek:)
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom