How many chickens can I have in my coop/run?

[DickMidnight]

Thank you for your insight. I have everything covered on your list for eight chickens except for the square footage in the coop. So I will probably keep the flock to seven. Yes, the run is covered and predator proof. I have an automatic pop door and they are always in the run except at night and on super cold days. Thankfully that is not often in my climate.

the guidelines are great, and i’m not saying @3KillerBs has led you wrong at all, but a lot of it comes down to your chickens, how they adapt, and if everyone gets along. and the truth is that more space is always better.

for example, according to the guidelines, i’m
over capacity for my coop space. i have 12 in a 4x8 coop.

that being said, they have an 8x20 fully predator proofed run. the pop door is never closed, so they have 192 sqft of blended indoor/outdoor space available 24/7.

additionally, they have a 3600 sqft fenced in enclosure that they spend at least a few hours in almost every day.

i’ve never had a bullying problem with this setup, despite my coop being too “small”.

i was even able to integrate 3 new pullets this summer to replace some losses without issue.

 

[3KillerBs]

for example, according to the guidelines, i’m
over capacity for my coop space. i have 12 in a 4x8 coop.

that being said, they have an 8x20 fully predator proofed run. the pop door is never closed, so they have 192 sqft of blended indoor/outdoor space available 24/7

This kind of thing is why they're *guidelines* not hard and fast rules.

The bottom line is always whether the birds are healthy and whether the flock has any social problems.

 

[DickMidnight]

This kind of thing is why they're *guidelines* not hard and fast rules.

The bottom line is always whether the birds are healthy and whether the flock has any social problems.

yeah that’s why i wanted to make sure i said you definitely were correct.

if and when we rebuild the coop it will be much bigger. more space is always better.

 

[tripletfeb]

I have a red and a black sex link. I'm in the process of introducing 2 more pullets to the group .... Dang, they are not being nice. The black sex link had one pullet blocked in the coop and wouldn't let her out into the run. The red had the other pullet pinned between the top of their food bucket and a platform ... between which I never thought a chicken would fit.

I added some old fencing to the run to split it into 2 sections so that the new and old are better separated.

Last night the hens wouldn't allow the pullets on the perch. I'm planning on adding a divider to split the perch in half so that when on one side, they won't be able to see/peck at the pullets on the other side.

They always got along so well with each other ... who would have guessed they'd be so mean to the newbies.

My two black sex links pecked and bullied another so bad they killed her. And were working on doing that to another so I culled them. Best choice I could make

the guidelines are great, and i’m not saying @3KillerBs has led you wrong at all, but a lot of it comes down to your chickens, how they adapt, and if everyone gets along. and the truth is that more space is always better.

for example, according to the guidelines, i’m
over capacity for my coop space. i have 12 in a 4x8 coop.

that being said, they have an 8x20 fully predator proofed run. the pop door is never closed, so they have 192 sqft of blended indoor/outdoor space available 24/7.

additionally, they have a 3600 sqft fenced in enclosure that they spend at least a few hours in almost every day.

i’ve never had a bullying problem with this setup, despite my coop being too “small”.

i was even able to integrate 3 new pullets this summer to replace some losses without issue.

And my coop was "big enough" for my chickens but when I added more, still having enough space, I had issues. So I extended my run another 32 square feet and that has made a huge difference. Plus the free range time. No hard and fast rules, just guidelines, like y'all have said. Just another agreement here

 

[Krugerrand]

My two black sex links pecked and bullied another so bad they killed her. And were working on doing that to another so I culled them. Best choice I could make

And my coop was "big enough" for my chickens but when I added more, still having enough space, I had issues. So I extended my run another 32 square feet and that has made a huge difference. Plus the free range time. No hard and fast rules, just guidelines, like y'all have said. Just another agreement here

Oh, I hope mine don't do that. I got them to share the roost tonight, so that's a start. I suspect I'll need to separate them again in the morning.

 

[DickMidnight]

And my coop was "big enough" for my chickens but when I added more, still having enough space, I had issues. So I extended my run another 32 square feet and that has made a huge difference. Plus the free range time. No hard and fast rules, just guidelines, like y'all have said. Just another agreement here

that sucks! sorry to hear it. it’s interesting how sometimes things work and sometimes they don’t.

i was able to integrate 3 pullets by keeping them in a dog crate inside of the run for about 10 days.

after 2-3 days of being locked in, i put the older birds out in the enclosure and closed the door, allowing the pullets an hour or two to explore the coop and run, then locked them back in the crate. i did that for a couple of days. after day 5 or so, i started leaving the door to the dog crate open, and then on the 10th day or so i went out there at night and put the new birds on the roost bars in the coop and took the crate out. all was peaceful.

 

[tripletfeb]

that sucks! sorry to hear it. it’s interesting how sometimes things work and sometimes they don’t.

i was able to integrate 3 pullets by keeping them in a dog crate inside of the run for about 10 days.

after 2-3 days of being locked in, i put the older birds out in the enclosure and closed the door, allowing the pullets an hour or two to explore the coop and run, then locked them back in the crate. i did that for a couple of days. after day 5 or so, i started leaving the door to the dog crate open, and then on the 10th day or so i went out there at night and put the new birds on the roost bars in the coop and took the crate out. all was peaceful.

Glad it worked out for you. My black sex links were together, since chickhood, with the ones they bullied. Can't explain why they just went crazy one day

 

[Badchickenpun]

I'm in this spot right now. I have a plenty big secure run.
I have plenty of room in my coop, for now. The wife is wanting us to triple our flock.so right now the coop is 6x6. plenty of room for 6.
I have about 18 feet of nesting bars, about 3 feet off floor, all same level.
We just got 7 more chicks from one person, and the wife wants four more from another.
Now, we have now idea how many will survive and if we end up with too many roos, we will need to downsize... So the final number is very fluid.
I am debating on expanding the coop. Thinking it might be a good idea as to not be pushing it in the future, and no need to tempt fate with behavioral issues.
So I may be adding another 36 sq feet.

 

[tripletfeb]

I'm in this spot right now. I have a plenty big secure run.
I have plenty of room in my coop, for now. The wife is wanting us to triple our flock.so right now the coop is 6x6. plenty of room for 6.
I have about 18 feet of nesting bars, about 3 feet off floor, all same level.
We just got 7 more chicks from one person, and the wife wants four more from another.
Now, we have now idea how many will survive and if we end up with too many roos, we will need to downsize... So the final number is very fluid.
I am debating on expanding the coop. Thinking it might be a good idea as to not be pushing it in the future, and no need to tempt fate with behavioral issues.
So I may be adding another 36 sq feet.

A 6x6 coop is way too small for the amount of chicks your wife wants to add. Expand it, even bigger than the 36 sq ft you are thinking, if you can. Bigger is always better

 

[rosemarythyme]

I am debating on expanding the coop. Thinking it might be a good idea as to not be pushing it in the future, and no need to tempt fate with behavioral issues.
So I may be adding another 36 sq feet.

Assuming all 17(?) survive and are kept, doubling the size of the coop should work out for that amount of birds. Even if you have some losses/roos culled, the extra space will still be appreciated by the birds you do keep.