Those rules posted are rules of thumb.
My coop for example is 4x8 foot print and should only house 8 standard birds at most; However with 3 interior stories or levels and compact feeders and water sources. I have housed 13 standard sex link birds in there with no problems.
One has to take into consideration the breed of birds whether they socialize well or not.
How they will respond to cramped quarters when they are unable to use the run in winter or unpleasant weather.
If you are not having any problems with cannibalism, egg eating, disease, or ammonia in the coop I could not see anything stopping you from increasing the amount of birds.
If one follows the basic suggestions in a perfect world everything will run smooth. Too know exactly how many birds you can house in your situation the only avenue open to you is trial and error.
The problem with trial and error is once a situation has developed it can run ramped through a flock with devastating results. If you are not providing perfect conditions you have to be ready for the results and suffer the consequences.
I have found that birds are more tolerant to crowding when raised in one flock as opposed to adding extra foreign birds later on.
However any final decision has to rest squarely on your own shoulders.
My coop for example is 4x8 foot print and should only house 8 standard birds at most; However with 3 interior stories or levels and compact feeders and water sources. I have housed 13 standard sex link birds in there with no problems.
One has to take into consideration the breed of birds whether they socialize well or not.
How they will respond to cramped quarters when they are unable to use the run in winter or unpleasant weather.
If you are not having any problems with cannibalism, egg eating, disease, or ammonia in the coop I could not see anything stopping you from increasing the amount of birds.
If one follows the basic suggestions in a perfect world everything will run smooth. Too know exactly how many birds you can house in your situation the only avenue open to you is trial and error.
The problem with trial and error is once a situation has developed it can run ramped through a flock with devastating results. If you are not providing perfect conditions you have to be ready for the results and suffer the consequences.
I have found that birds are more tolerant to crowding when raised in one flock as opposed to adding extra foreign birds later on.
However any final decision has to rest squarely on your own shoulders.
Last edited:
