This is our first season with chickens. We have a coop that is 5' long, 8' wide & about 7' tall in the front & slants to being about 6' in the back with a 5x13 run attached to it. We have lots of perches in there that make use of the height, and we let them free-range alot, but how many chickens can our coop comfortably house when they're all going to be stuck in there for winter? Thanks, Liz
Most folks would say that you could have 10 standard birds or a few more if they're small ones. More room for them is better that not enough. You didn't say if your run is covered or not but even in MD your chickens might want to be outside if they don't have to walk through snow.
IMO max of 10 (for harmony/ease of maintaining) if you get snow/ice, and I imagine your area does. If you have a covered run, carport, lean-tos and such that the chickens can get to easily, they will be much happier. Although chickens don't like snow, it's best to still open your pop door daily to give them an opportunity to stretch their legs and get some fresh air. Shoveling, tossing down straw, etc. will encourage them to come out as well. If you get a LOT of snow, enough that the birds might not be able to come out for days at a time, then you might opt for a few less.
Thank you! We have 7 standard chickens out in the coop now, and 3-4 more girls that will go out there soon, so perfect! I'm just concerned because we've been getting really bad snowstorms here for the past few winters, I didn't want them to get all crowded, since we lost a few hens to that issue while they were still living in our sunroom when they were little... (our bad) But a covered run is a good idea! Why didn't I think of that? lol. Thanks, again.