how big should my coop be?

[froggyphore]

My coop is big enough for my flock of 16, but next year i want to add 6 hens and get some ducks. (3-6 standard size and 3 calls) I’d prefer for them to cohabitate, how much floor space would be necessary? They free range during the day. Thanks in advance.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I've been told that 3-4 square feet per a chicken.

 

[3KillerBs]

According to the Usual Guidelines, for each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

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

So for 22 chickens you would need:

88 square feet in the coop -- With 8x12 being about the only practical build given the standard dimensions of lumber,
880 square feet in the run -- 24x36 being one possibility,
22 linear feet of roost,
5-6 nest boxes,
And 22 square feet of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation.

That said, there are a lot of factors going on as flock size increases that *can* mean that you don't need as much space per bird because each bird has more space individually or that *can* mean you'll want a space you can subdivide to make the management easier. Even if tighter quarters work socially you have to factor in the poop load generated by higher chicken density.

It's not generally recommended to keep ducks and chickens in the same housing. Dry chickens are healthy chickens but ducks are WET and make everything around them wet. Additionally, an amorous drake can kill a hen because, unlike a rooster, he has a penis. Ducks are designed for this internally, hens are not.

You'd have to ask on the duck forum whether standard-sized ducks and call ducks can be kept together because that's beyond the "maybe we'll get ducks" research I've done.

Good luck with it.

 

[froggyphore]

thanks so much for the detailed response! luckily my coop is about that big already so it won’t require much alteration. thanks for the tip on calls with standard sizes, i hadn’t considered there could be an issue. i’ll be sure to research it.