How many birds can my coop hold? *Pics*

[3KillerBs]

Well the coop has roosts in it. I'm sorry. Thanks for the help. A lot of my friends that have chickens have so many in a small area and I didn't know. They got to free range every day and I did down size

Unfortunately, when the makers of the prefab coops lie to people about the numbers of chickens their coops hold people get an unrealistic idea of chickens' needs.

Reading these forums for years before I ever got my first chickens I came to realize that 75-90% of the health and behavioral problems people seek help for can be traced to insufficient space and/or insufficient ventilation.

 

[_-Captain BRM-_]

Unfortunately, when the makers of the prefab coops lie to people about the numbers of chickens their coops hold people get an unrealistic idea of chickens' needs.

Reading these forums for years before I ever got my first chickens I came to realize that 75-90% of the health and behavioral problems people seek help for can be traced to insufficient space and/or insufficient ventilation.

That's so sad thank you! I love my chickens so much and don't want them to be suffering. I literally had no idea!

 

[3KillerBs]

That's so sad thank you! I love my chickens so much and don't want them to be suffering. I literally had no idea!

People don't.

But we can help you improve the setup so that they will be healthy and happy.

 

[_-Captain BRM-_]

People don't.

But we can help you improve the setup so that they will be healthy and happy.

Yes thank you! So even with proper ventilation how many chickens can I get in there???

 

[3KillerBs]

Yes thank you! So even with proper ventilation how many chickens can I get in there???

What are the exact dimensions of the coop section (not counting the nestboxes), and the run section?

 

[_-Captain BRM-_]

What are the exact dimensions of the coop section (not counting the nestboxes), and the run section?

5 x 3 for the coop. 6 x 11 for the run... I have another run but its not corrugated wire so their only able to go in it in the day.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Unfortunately, when the makers of the prefab coops lie to people about the numbers of chickens their coops hold people get an unrealistic idea of chickens' needs.

Reading these forums for years before I ever got my first chickens I came to realize that 75-90% of the health and behavioral problems people seek help for can be traced to insufficient space and/or insufficient ventilation.

^^^ This.

With chickens, as with us, "Abundance is a Social Lubricant". That's where the "thumb rules" come from - they are guidelines for both good flock health, and good flock behavior. There are, of course, no guarantees - never are. and like any good guideline, individual circumstances can allow you to bend them a bit.

There's always that one @$$ - and sometimes, you get one in your flock, like you sometimes get one for a neighbor. But when you and each of your neighbors has a 3/2 on a 1/4 acre at the end of a cul-de-sac you get along better than when each of your neighbors is in a 2/1, 800 sq ft apartment up several flights of stairs with at least 4 families sharing walls with you, and most of the building aware when you've had a bad day - or are playing their preferred musical genre much too loud for your TV show.

Your birds? The same.

 

[_-Captain BRM-_]

^^^ This.

With chickens, as with us, "Abundance is a Social Lubricant". That's where the "thumb rules" come from - they are guidelines for both good flock health, and good flock behavior. There are, of course, no guarantees - never are. and like any good guideline, individual circumstances can allow you to bend them a bit.

There's always that one @$$ - and sometimes, you get one in your flock, like you sometimes get one for a neighbor. But when you and each of your neighbors has a 3/2 on a 1/4 acre at the end of a cul-de-sac you get along better than when each of your neighbors is in a 2/1, 800 sq ft apartment up several flights of stairs with at least 4 families sharing walls with you, and most of the building aware when you've had a bad day - or are playing their preferred musical genre much too loud for your TV show.

Your birds? The same.

 

[_-Captain BRM-_]

^^^ This.

With chickens, as with us, "Abundance is a Social Lubricant". That's where the "thumb rules" come from - they are guidelines for both good flock health, and good flock behavior. There are, of course, no guarantees - never are. and like any good guideline, individual circumstances can allow you to bend them a bit.

There's always that one @$$ - and sometimes, you get one in your flock, like you sometimes get one for a neighbor. But when you and each of your neighbors has a 3/2 on a 1/4 acre at the end of a cul-de-sac you get along better than when each of your neighbors is in a 2/1, 800 sq ft apartment up several flights of stairs with at least 4 families sharing walls with you, and most of the building aware when you've had a bad day - or are playing their preferred musical genre much too loud for your TV show.

Your birds? The same.

Do you have any ideas of how many I could fit in there with good ventilation? After reading all of this I realize how many people cram their birds

 

[3KillerBs]

5 x 3 for the coop. 6 x 11 for the run... I have another run but its not corrugated wire so their only able to go in it in the day.

3x5 is 15 square feet -- slightly tight for 4 chickens but it would probably work if they're docile and easygoing.

6x11 is 66 square feet -- roomy for 6 birds and tight for 7.

If you modified your coop so that the coop and attached run turned into one, larger coop, that would give you about 80 square feet -- which would be enough for 20 chickens. Then you could add a predator proof run of 10x20 or 16x16 and that would be a generous amount of space for a large flock.