How Many Can I Have?

[Chilebound]

I have an 8'x8' coop has a 9' ceiling, and an attached 50'x 40' pen. How many chickens can I have without affecting life quality? (Thiers or mine!) I think I read how to compute this somewhere before, but can't find it now. THanks for your patients: a 'new egg'

 

[Pequena Bandada]

On average you need four interior square feet per chicken and 10 outdoor square feet. So, 8x8 is 64 square feet. That means you could have 16 chickens comfortably. You could have a lot more in your run, but the coop will be the limiting factor. Enjoy!

 

[Chilebound]

Thanks! Guess how many I have--exactly? 16! I wish that I had built a bigger coop--I'd love to have more.......

 

[gardenak]

Don't we all! If I'd have known then what I know now. . .

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
The answer in my opinion is "as few as you can bring yourself to have". I have kept chickens at 4 sq ft per chicken indoors (plus run) and at 15 sq ft per chickens indoors (plus run) and I gotta tell you, they really behave differently with the larger amount of space available.

I'm not telling you what to DO, that is a personal choice, I'm just answering your question -- it *does* affect their quality of life, in my observation, to have 4 sq ft apiece versus more ample quarters.

(It is also easier to manage and clean up after fewer chickens per unit area, and you are less apt to run into problems like smelliness)

Just sayin', good luck, have fun,

Pat