How many chickens in a run 9ft x 20ft?

[leanne2015]

Same as above



Thanks

 

[Hholly]

The standard rule of thumb is 10 sq. ft per bird in the run and 4 in the coop. Your run dimensions would allow 18 birds. But honestly, I think that would be crowded. I have 15 chickens, including 12 bantams in a 10 x 30 run, and it seems crowded to me. They have killed all the grass and I have to keep a lot of straw out there to keep it from being a mud pit. Hope this helps.

 

[imeister]

10 sq ft per chicken, so a 9x20ft run is 180 sq ft, therefore no more than 18 chickens. This would also require 72 sq ft of coop space too (4 sq ft per bird), so something like 12x6.

 

[leanne2015]

Oh that's good then. I was hoping for 6 - 10 but thought it would be too small! Thanks

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Up to 20 would be happy if they had a few obstacles to be under, roost on and general obstruction and choices of places to be other than a wide open soon to be dirt patch. A flock in itself doesn't take up much space at all and generally sticks in a 10x10 area but they like options of places to be. When moving about my electric poultry netting it'll be put around a bush, flower garden and or tree at any given time. Every new place they'll pick one area they want to be and seldom move from it but do like options and will work the entire area but have a favorite hang out spot. I move the fencing and again they pick a favorite spot. If you asked a chicken it's say it wants a perch pole, if you could find a old telephone wire wooden spool they's want that too. Things to get on and under with several options is nirvana in the chicken world.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I wont get into coop size as that is always under debate and really depends on how you manage a flock so quite drastic in variance of what is required.

 

[ChickenMammX4]

FWIW, we have 6 chickens in a 8' x 16' run. With their bale of hay to play on, their dust bath tub and waterer, I wouldn't want more than maybe another 2 or 3 in there.

 

[aart]

But coop size does matter, it's not finite but does have bearing on population....
....tell us about the coop @leanne2015 ..and what is your climate and plans for management.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Coop size does matter but it's not a "let me toss this number of square feet per bird around and if you don't have it your abusing your chickens" type thing. It's completely management style based and not a magical number that dictates happy or sad birds.

 

[aart]

Coop size does matter but it's not a "let me toss this number of square feet per bird around and if you don't have it your abusing your chickens" type thing. It's completely management style based and not a magical number that dictates happy or sad birds.

Why I said.... "it's not finite"...same goes for run size and population.

I would not advise a population for a given run size if I didn't even know there was a coop.