Enough room for new chicks?

[eighthens525]

I am trying to figure out if I need to expand my coop. I currently have 10 hens and a roo and mama in the middle nesting box there is sitting on a clutch of 10 eggs. I won't keep all of them but in the meantime until they are teenagers can I have everyone live in here? Will the babies find room? They free range all day and essentially just use the coop for eating and laying and sleeping. They don't hang out in there.

 

[3KillerBs]

How big is the coop, not counting the nestboxes?

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

For your current eleven you should have:

• 44 square feet in the coop. About 8 x 6 not counting the nest boxes,
• 110 square feet in the run.
• 11 linear feet of roost,
• 3 next boxes,
• and 11 square feet of ventilation.

Chicks need about 1/2 square of a square foot for the first couple weeks, 1 square foot each up to about 4-6 weeks, 2 square feet up to about 12 weeks and than the full 4 square feet per bird.

Additionally, broodies occupy more space because they want a buffer zone between their chicks and the rest of the flock.

Granted, these are *guidelines* rather than hard and fast *rules*, but they're also usually considered MINIMUMS.

Here's a useful article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-much-room-do-chickens-need.66180/

 

[DobieLover]

A broody hen with chicks in that small of a coop with that size flock... I think you will have issues for sure.

 

[DobieLover]

I would then recommend no more than 6 chickens total for the coop, based on the general guidelines

Since you have more than that already, I wouldn't add any more, but I also think that if there are no issues resulting, that the chickens already residing will potentially be ok.

You are forgetting about the broody hen with chicks. That changes everything.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

My coop is 8x9, I have 4 hens and 3 pullets (6 months old), one of my hens just hatched chicks last week and I can tell you that none of the other ladies are allowed within 3-4 feet of her chicks or she goes on an all-out assault. IMO I don't think you have enough room for her to hatch chicks in that coop. Could you come up with another area where she could have some space?

 

[Lemon-Drop]

What are the dimensions?

@3KillerBs provided some excellent information.

 

[_-Captain BRM-_]

If they are free ranging all day and are getting along I wouldn't make a big deal of it. You should be just fine.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

You are forgetting about the broody hen with chicks. That changes everything.

Oops, I forgot about the mama sitting on 10 eggs.

 

[3KillerBs]

About 4'x6'

You will definitely need to expand because it's already over-crowded.

If you keep the chicks (leaving aside the fact that some will be male), you will need coop space for 20+ chickens.

20 hens

• 80 square feet in the coop. 8'x10' is the most practical because 7'x12' or 6'x14' require a lot of weird cuts.
• 20 feet of roost
• 200 square feet in the run. 10'x20', 12'x16' or 8'x25' as suits the land available.
• 20 square feet of ventilation.
• 5 nest boxes.

 

[3KillerBs]

So just wait until they're all hatched then move them?

Yes. Because you're at serious risk of losing the clutch if she doesn't graft to the new nest.