Help with Coop

[zmongo]

Hi All

I am new to keeping chickens and would like some advise, I have been reading a lot on the site but just wanted to run everything by you all before I get then hens.

Coop
My coop is 4ft x 4th x 4th

Nest Box - I have 2 nest boxes attached to the side of the coop, 18h x 15w x15d

Roost - I have 2 roosts which are 4ft long each, I have used 2x2 and the are 18 inch off the floor. Gap between the roosts and the wall is 12 inches

Run
The run is 4ft by 13ft

I am planning to get 6 hens, is the coop and run big enough for this amount of hens or how many would be a good number for these dimensions

My space is limited and cannot make a bigger run or coop

I will let the hens out of the run for a couple of hours a day

Thanks
MZ

 

[shortgrass]

You might find the space to be too confining for 6 hens, depending on breed... 6 larger Buff Orpington might feel too cramped versus 6 Ancona, for instance... You might end up with 5

Also, keep in mind that the breed you choose will determine how well they STAY in the run; some breeds "free range" easily, lol which is a nice way of saying they "fly the coop" often... I would NOT recommend Ancona, Buttercup, Hamburg, or Barred Rocks for specifically this reason...they don't stay put

Do you have some breeds in mind? Seems that you are well prepared for hens; are you getting juvenile birds or are you brooding chicks?

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! You have room for maybe three standard hens, or five bantams. The recommended minimum sq. ft. per bird is 4', but 5' is better. Crowding will cause all sorts of problems. Roofing most of the run and making it a coop might work for you, but a 4' cube isn't big enough, and will be a pain to clean. Mary

 

[zmongo]

I am planning to get Gingernut Ranger it is a Rhode Island Red crossed with a Light Sussex. Thank you for your tips and advice. I am planning to have a roof over the total run space as well. So you would recommend about 4 hens as a max.

 

[Emma Miriam]

Hi! That breed isn't too huge a breed, but neither is it tiny. I would say you could get away with 5 birds MAX. That would give you 3.2 square feet in the coop and 10.4 square feet in the run, which would be fine as long as the hens have access to the run not too long after daybreak (either you'd get up early every morning, or buy an automatic door), and as long as you let them out every once in a while.

4 birds, though, would give you more wiggle room. 4 square feet in the coop and 13 square feet in the run. That would be ideal.

Roost space and nesting boxes are perfect the way they are! And having a roofed run is an excellent idea.