How many chickens per coop size? Rooster/Hen Ratio?

[SpringChicken88]

I am looking to build a chicken coop in my yard and I am wanting to get about 15-20 chicks after I have it built. I have looked at many different coop designs and sizes but I am not sure what kind of space/nests will be needed for the chickens to be comfortable. Also- is there a good hen-rooster ratio? If you can't tell I'm pretty new at this.

I just want to get it right. Thanks for any help!

 

[chickenbottom]

at least 2.5 square feet per bird i suggest 4 because you never know if you want to expand lol and the its 10:1 hen rooster ratio heres a good site http://shilala.homestead.com/housing.html

 

[chickenbottom]

oh and

from hollister fl

 

[SpringChicken88]

Thanks alot! I am really excited and kinda anxious to get started. Just want to get it done right the first time. Do you recommend anywhere to get the baby chicks from? I am in
Macedonia, South Carolina and I am looking at McMurray Hatchery online right now. I am looking more or less for pets and eggs. Looking at several different breeds, definitely want a more passive, friendly breed.

 

[Keri78]

Hi there! I'm a newbie too! WELCOME! I got mine from ideal-poultry.com b/c I didn't want 25chickens to start out! They were awesome! I mist have changed my order 5 times and they were just as sweet and patient with me everytime! Their shipping is cheap and they are great to answer questions! I also wanted calm friendly birds and I ended up getting buff orpingtons(they are sooo sweet..like a dog in the backyard!) and a mix of bantie frizzles and standard cochins. They are all supposed to be good layers and lay throughout the year! They are all sooo sweet and I LOVE my frizzles and big big fluffy smooth cochins(they look like little teddy bears walking around the backyard!) Initially my plan was to let them all free range and then lock them up at night to keep them safe. BUT...my roos never seemed to get along and pretty much would like to peck each other to death soooo now I'm onto plan B!!!(lol) I have one roo per "chicken tractor" my tractors & built on hutches are approx. 4ft. wide by 8-9ft. long? They were super cheap and easy to build..even with Hubby having no building experience!(lol) Anyway, Like I said I have one roo per 2-4 girls and they all seem to be happy and content. I rotate letting out one "flock" per day and wait for them to return to their coop at night to sleep and then I go out and lock up the pen. It works out great! However, if I were to build again(which I want to do soon) I would try to build a "pallet shed" It would be just a cheap but MUCH bigger and I really am liking the idea of being able to have them all under one roof. I'm thinking of having four seperate "chickie stalls" within the "pallet shed" ???? Oh yeah...and if I had it to do again I would leave a dirt floor in the nesting box/hutch and just do the deep litter method. Well, good luck and enjoy getting your new baby chickies! Be careful not to leave too much to chance with getting too many roos! Blessings, Keri PS... To answer your question that's about 5 chickens per tractor that I have now and they get antsy after a couple of days in there and really want to get out and free range!

 

[ColoradoMike]

The oft stated minimum recommended space for chickens is 4 sq ft per bird inside the coop and 10 sq ft per bird in the secure run. More space = happier chickens and easier management. Many people do just fine with slightly less space in the coop if their birds are 'free-ranging', but there are potential predator issues if you go that route.

Good luck!

 

[chickenbottom]

Quote:
thats exactly what i forgot to put the run size oops mine just spend most of the time in the run or free ranging so my coop is perfect for sleeping and laying and holding my feed and things. also o.p if you let them free range i sit and watch them for an hour so i know if anything is flying over head or owls just be careful with that if thats the way you go if not a big run is needed for running space.

 

[chickenbottom]

Quote:
ide say ideal poultry because mcMurray has a 25 chicks limit and ideal has a 25 dollar limit ive ordered from ideal twice and have they are sweet and friendly.

 

[SpringChicken88]

This may be a dumb question, but how many nest boxes would I need if I had 10 hens and 1 rooster? Would I need 10 nests or fewer than that? All the coop pics I have seen have between 6 - 8 nest boxes for anywhere between 10-20 hens.

 

[Megs]

i would say 3-4 nest boxes should be sifficient, i have 5 nest boxes for 18 hens and they use only 2 of them! silly chickens