How many chickens can I fit in my coop?

[pusher317]

Hi everyone, newbie here! I've built a coop but I'm not sure how many chicken will be comfortable in the space. I originally was aiming to house 3-4 chickens, but after adding a nest box and roosts and food and water the space looks smaller than I pictured. The coop is 39"L x 23"W. I placed a 12"x15" nest box inside the living area and I have two roosts, one 22" and another 16". Minus the nest box there is approx. 5.5 square feet of living space in the coop. Is that enough for 3 chickens or should I only get 2? I want to get either buff orpingtons or black australorps. No roosters. The run is 8ft x 3ft.

 

[FireTigeris]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/top-ten-most-often-asked-questions-about-chickens

I would say 4 square feet each, and 10 square feet each in the run- I had less then that once and I had feather plucking and fighting, loos of laying- they were miserable.

If you get bantams you can get away with what you have. both run and coop- I would never have more then two with that sized setup.


It be like spending the rest of your life in a smaller then standard hotel room with a balcony- how much space would you -want-?

 

[pusher317]

Thank you, you've convinced me to definitely stick with just two hens. I'm using Raising Chickens for Dummies as my guidebook. The book stated 2 sq feet per bird. I hope with the ample run space they will be happy in those quarters.

 

[FireTigeris]

Well have fun with them, they are a blast to watch.

 

[Carols Clucks]

You might want to consider adding space to the run as well. 8x3 is pretty small.

 

[pusher317]

My coop is a tractor, so I will be relocating it around the backyard every couple of days. I also plan to let them free range a little bit in the backyard when I'm home. I have a 6-ft privacy fence, will they try to fly over that? Will I need to trim their wings?

 

[FireTigeris]

Depends on the breeds, I have leghorns and an ameracana that fly everywhere the Wyadottes never fly.