How many chickens can I add to my flock?

[jc9766]

I currently have 9 chickens- 6 standard and 3 bantam. I would like to add more but I don't want to have them be too crowded. My coop is 8ft x 8ft and has a shed roof that goes from 7ft to 5ft. I also have an attached and enclosed run that is 7ft by 6ft- and the chickens have access to the run all day everyday- we close the door for them to go into the run at night.
Any suggestions on the number of chickens I can have?

Thanks for any advice,

Jeff

 

[1muttsfan]

For standard fowl, 4 square feet of coop, and 10 square feet of run. For bantams, a little less - 2-3 square feet of coop. Trying to squeeze in more increases problems such as picking and bullying (signs of decreased well-being) and sanitary issues.

Your run is already small for the number of birds you have. Your coop can hold about 15 standard fowl, but only if you increase your run substantially.

 

[bills]

I agree, the current run is to small. Ad an addition to it before getting any more birds.

 

[aart]

Newbie still in planning stage here but have been reading a ton in preparation. I wonder if the often stated "4 square feet of coop and 10 square feet of run" should be looked at as a bare minumum.

In thinking about worst case scenarios, what if you have a serious weather or predator issues and chooks need to be confined to coop for a extended time frame? I am leaning to plan for much more room than the minumum coop square footage to cover these eventualities.

 

[Time-Out]

Definitely, aart. 10sqft of run space per bird quickly results in bare soil that needs regular 'tending' to keep from smelling. My personal minimum is 20sqft of run space per bird. Currently, mine are at 22, but there are a few that will be sold in Spring.
My coop space is based on giving me the opportunity to go away for the weekend (not that I do much, but it's nice to know I CAN). I have a minimum of 6sqft per LF bird and 4sqft per bantam. I have a small coop in my back garden (the big ones are on an allotment), but those hens would go into the bantam coop if we were to go away. 7sqft for three bantams would be too small in my opinion.