How many chickens can I put in my chicken house

[Iamamerica2]

My chickens are pasture free, they only go in the chicken house to sleep and lay eggs.I I have had many people wanting to buy my eggs but
do not have enough to go around.
That being said how many chickens can I house in a 8 foot by 8 foot by 7 feet high and I have 6 nesting boxes and approx 20 or so linear feet of perching area. I want them to be comfortable but I would like to know how many I can fit in there comfortably before building another chicken coop.

I have 12 chickens in there now, I am adding about 25 more in April.
Thanks for your help.

 

[Arielle]

The limiting space is actually the floor space when the weather is a problem On the very cold days here with the winds blowing and temps at 5 degrees the girls hunger down in their coop and don't leave. Makes the coop very crowded. I have 31 birds in a slightly smaller coop, and they can free range all day if they want. As for roost space they sit next to friends, closer when it is very cold and spread out when it is hot.

Consider a covered run if possible.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

I'd build a new coop before you get your twenty five more. The general rule of thumb is 4 feet per chicken. Your current house can comfortably house sixteen chickens.

 

[cstronks]

Depending on how large the breed is, you may be able to get away with more. Medium sized birds will fit better ( red star or golden buff ). If they are pasture, then they should be ok with a more limited space. Could you stretch to 8 x 10, and only 6 foot high walls? That's really as high as you need.

 

[cstronks]

To clarify, I don't mean more than the additional 25...I mean more than the 16 feet allotted. 2.5 or 3 square feet per bird isn't that bad. Mine are at 3 right now and do well.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

Yes, cstronks in right, I forgot about smaller breeds/less space. (I have all big breeds. ) But also be aware of the fact that, if you live somewhere were it gets really cold, and the chickens aren't able to get out in the winter, then you WILL need a bigger coop, other wise they will pick on each other. I free range my chickens in the summer, and I have 7-8 feet per bird because they rarely get out during the winter so they are grumpy.

 

[Ridgerunner]

As you can see from the other responders there are a lot of “if’s” involved, the individual chickens, the weather, and your management techniques. You might check out the link in my signature for my thoughts on what some of these “if’s” are. In the end it’s your decision to make.

Good luck!

 

[cstronks]

True, Ridgerunner, but he asked for advice, so we gave it to him.....

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I don't believe your birds will let you get away with that many to such a small coop. Bantams maybe but certainly not standard birds. A bird uses 10-12 inches of roosting space if standard, that limits you to 20 birds right there. I have problems when nearing 2 sqft per bird in the coop, again that could be due to lack of roosting area. Currently at 2.3 sqft and they are fine, only roost and lay eggs in there. Personally I'd try to get more roosting space and wouldn't try more than 25 birds- 30 tops and would watch them carefully at that capacity.

 

[4 the Birds]

My chickens are pasture free, they only go in the chicken house to sleep and lay eggs.I I have had many people wanting to buy my eggs but
do not have enough to go around.
That being said how many chickens can I house in a 8 foot by 8 foot by 7 feet high and I have 6 nesting boxes and approx 20 or so linear feet of perching area. I want them to be comfortable but I would like to know how many I can fit in there comfortably before building another chicken coop.

I have 12 chickens in there now, I am adding about 25 more in April.
Thanks for your help.

We have the same problem! A lot of demand for our eggs but we can hardly keep enough for ourselves (and that is with a few dozen eggs per day).

Your 64sf coop will be really tight and too crowded for 37 full size chickens. I have about 120sf of coop space for 30 chickens. I would extend your existing coop in the Spring for the additional 25 chickens. What I do is to raise them from chicks in a garage brooder and then isolate them in the new coop extension for a few weeks at 6 weeks of age. Then they are ready to join the flock. Because they already have coop space built for them, there is a lesser chance of conflict with roost bar positioning when the new area is opened up to the flock.