do I have room for more???

[jengro65]

I bought this ready made amish house for my birds. Its 6 X 4 with a nice roost and 5 nest boxes. The manufacturer says it holds 12-15 chickens. Right now I have 10 WLH hens and 1 Dom/Maran mix Rooster. They only sleep and lay eggs in the house. The rest of the day they seem to spend out in the 60 X 60 fenced in area I have for them. Do you think I can get some more hens? I'd hate to ruin the peace with over crowding but I'd love a few brown egg layers...maybe 4 or so more?

By jengro65 at 2011-08-06

 

[IRL]

Manufacturers almost always say coops can fit many more chickens than they should. 6x4 is 24 sq feet. The recommended square footage per chicken is 4 feet. This would mean you could only fit 6 birds. Considering how large your run is, 11 is probably fine, but I wouldn't add any more.

 

[donrae]

I also wouldn't add more. What about when the weather is bad and they spend a lot more time in the coop? I'd sure hate to see you posting on here in a few months about hens pecking/cannibalizing each other due to overcrowding

 

[sonew123]

Nice house I would not add more.. 6 x 4 =24... 4sq ft per chicken minimum-gives you 6 chickens. You already have 12 in there-If that works for you and them -great... but adding more I'm sure would upset the peacefulness

 

[jengro65]

Thanks everyone I'll wait till spring when I get another house.