How many can I have???

[Nuggetsowner:)]

I have a beautiful coop for my chickens! The outdoor run is 12 x16 and the indoor coop is 6x8 with 10 nesting boxes. Right now I have 8 hens and 1 rooster. I cannot allow them to freerange because of the dogs in our neighborhood. Do you think I have room for more chickens. I LOVE the ones I have now but was thinking of getting some other varieties! I have gotten the bug bad! I want to know haw many I could fit in my current coop. I could expand the coop but to expand the run would be a little more difficult not that it couldn't be done. I was thinking maybe 6 more give or take.

 

[tiffanyh]

I would think you have plenty of run space for 6 more, you may be at 3sq ft or so (if I do it im my head) for 15 birds, but a lot of people use that number.

Feed the habit! Buy more chickens!

 

[justusnak]

Sounds like you might have room for 3 or 4 more. This is typically the way it goes....

For the run.....10 sq ft per standard size chicken.
Your run is 12x16 = 192 sq ft. Will comfortably fit 19 standards.
HOWEVER
Your coop is 6x8 = 48 sq ft. In the coop, they need 4 sq ft per chicken. So you could fit 12 standards.

Typically for the nesting boxes....its 4 hens per nest. Some say 3 hens per nest.
The roost, they need 1 ft per chicken.

Easily you could get 8 to 10 more in the run...but the coop will hold less, unless you increase its size. I say...BUILD ON and GET MORE!!

 

[Nuggetsowner:)]

Thanks!!!! My husband will be soooo glad to hear that I can go ahead and get more!!! LOL

Now the hardest thing will be to decide what kind to get! Also I order the ones I have from MCMurray and the more I learn about them the less I like about them. Any reccomedations???

 

[horsewishr]

I have more space than I need right now. But I'm trying desperately to pace myself when acquiring more hens. I don't want them all to be the same age, since the egg-laying slows with age. My plan is to "refresh" the flock with a couple of new birds every two years or so, to try to keep the egg supply flowing.

(We'll see how my willpower holds out next spring, when I'm tempted to "forget" the whole plan and go chick-happy!

)

 

[justusnak]

I ordered from MM as well. My chickens are happy and healthy..just NOT what they are supposed to be!! I ordered 15 Buff Orp hens, and 2 BO Roos. Well...the roos look great...golden, pinkish legs...of the 15 hens, one has GOLDEN legs...3 have green leggs. Hmmmm..

Gues my grandson will NOT be showing these next year...now Im not sure ANY of them are pure. If you just want healthy happy chickens, and dont care of pureness..I say...go with MM again. They DID credit me for the 4 hens of different breed, and were very friendly about it. Or, maybe My Pet Chicken?

Oh, and DONT tell your DH I said you have room for more!