How many birds can my coop hold? *Pics*

[3KillerBs]

Do you have any ideas of how many I could fit in there with good ventilation?

A coop that holds 4 birds needs 4 square feet of ventilation as a minimum.

Every bird needs at least 1 square foot of ventilation.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

No pictures of my coops, my circumstances are nothing like your own, so they aren't really relevant here. Not just because they are ugly, absolutely no dime was spent in making them attractive, but because they have no predator protection whatsoever. I can afford to be far more risk tolerant with my mutts, as I free range in an electric fence protected pasture, and my coops are located within runs designed to stop the local four legged predators who somehow defeat the electric fence. Then they can deal with my goats. and if the goats keep 'em busy long enough, they can deal with me, some smokeless powder, and a copper jacketed lead hollow point.

My State is very clear about a property owner's rights regarding "at large" animals attacking livestock. I have 30 acres of privacy, and neighbors who share my views.

But mostly because I could lose 10 birds to a predator tonight, and still have 50+ birds with most of a dozen eggs already incubating...

 

[U_Stormcrow]

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

3. As I said in my original post. Maybe 4. If you go to a three sided coop and attatched, partially covered run (what's commonly called an "open air" coop), that's a way of bending the "thumb rules" a bit, by effectively combining run space and coop space, so you need a little less of each. Then, your next limiting factor is likely roost space - 1 linear foot per bird, meaning 5 birds in that coop. Maybe a couple more if you have small breeds.

If you extended the walls a bit, so you could have more than a single bar (I like having a foot of free space on either side of the bar) you could effectively double that number pretty easily, 10 - except you've then exceeded your space need for "run" with a total area of about 6 x14. I'd settle at 8 birds without a complete rebuild.

Even the restructure is a good weekend's work.

 

[bill3607]

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

Yes, and I certainly was not trying to judge you

 

[Sylavash]

The base of my cup is 4x6 and 6 ft tall with 4 roost polls and 4 nesting boxes. How many chickens should I keep in there?

 

[black_cat]

The base of my cup is 4x6 and 6 ft tall with 4 roost polls and 4 nesting boxes. How many chickens should I keep in there?
View attachment 2871849

I'd say 5-6 birds in that coop, due to floor space.

 

[rosemarythyme]

The base of my cup is 4x6 and 6 ft tall with 4 roost polls and 4 nesting boxes. How many chickens should I keep in there?

6, if they're getting 4 sq ft per bird.

 

[InterestingChickens]

The base of my cup is 4x6 and 6 ft tall with 4 roost polls and 4 nesting boxes. How many chickens should I keep in there?
View attachment 2871849

The rule of thumb 10 square feet in the run and 4 square feet in the coop. As well as one square foot if 24/7/365 ventilation per bird (best area for this is above the birds heads while roosting). One nesting box to every five birds and a linear foot to every bird on the roost. Keep in mind, these are the absolute minimums. Remember, the more space the better and the happier they will be.

I have 7 chickens to a 100+ square feet run. Your climate will play a big factor in it.

 

[Shadrach]

There is one important factor that should considered that should be the determining factor on coop size and that is, how are you going to keep your chickens?

If for example you live somewhere where the climate means the chickens cannot be let out for a number of weeks, or even months in the year, then you should be looking at a coop of run sized proportions because for many months the coop will be their run.

Then there is the matter of the type of chicken you plan to keep. Not all breeds fare well in close confinement. Some breeds are less tolerant of others and in close coop confinement this can cause problems.

Perhaps the next thing that is helpful to bear in mind is who you are building the coop for.
Lots of coops I see are built as a testimony to the keepers building skills and not much consideration for the needs of the chickens.

When I was in Spain the chickens there free ranged every day from about an hour after dawn to dusk and a few didn’t use the coops at night. The “coop” was just a place for them to roost at night. Even shelter from the elements wasn’t a big priority; the climate being mostly dry and warm. What the coop was for was security at night.

If you are going to free range every day for even a few hours then the coop one builds has different requirements to a coop where chickens rarely get out.

If you are going to have a massive semi secure run then the coop dimensions are less important.
As you can see in my coop page, I build very basic easy to maintain coops and none of them had the recommended four feet per chicken space yet the chickens were extremely healthy and as far as I could tell, very happy with their homes.

Some people don’t build a coop at all and just make a very large run and make that secure and provide perches. If such a style of chicken keeping is planned for you can incorporate trees inside the run and the chickens will happily roost in those. Yes, you do need the room, but if thought about beforehand the cost of making a much much larger run enclosing a few trees and bushes can work out cheaper than building some overspecified coop with all the bells and whistles and a run fit for a couple of mice.

 

[SegiDream]

Didn't see this mentioned so if it has, forgive me. But if you are looking at building a 10-20ft or larger coop you may want to check your local building codes before you start. I'm not a builder but I know in my county if a shed or barn exceeds those dimensions it requires permits. You may have to build slightly smaller than some have suggested and/or use multiple coops to avoid headaches. Of course if money and headaches are not an issue you can build a massive chicken barn mansion and post pics so we can drool over it with envy .