How many chickens will a 4X6 henhouse house?

[Amy's Animals]

I'm new to chickens so I don't have a real henhouse yet. I was planning on buying one but I need to know how many chickens can be housed in a 4X6 henhouse with 5 nest boxes? Thanks already

 

[trilyn]

Most people on this board average 1 chicken per 4 square feet. In your case, you would be able to house 6 chickens comfortably! Have fun!

 

[Amy's Animals]

mhm, i was told 4 feet was only for the run, and 2 feet was for inside the henhouse???

 

[underground chickenman]

Depends on whether you subscribe to the 4 sq ft per bird rule or the 10 sq ft per bird rule, or something in between. Also depends on whether you are confining your hens to the coop or providing a run or free range in addition to the coop.

If you have no run and they will not be free-ranged, I would not keep more than three heavy chickens in that space or four or five bantams, max, but I subscribed to the bigger space rule. My eight have 9 sq ft each in their coop.

If you have a run of at least another 25 square feet, you could double that to six, but five would be better. If you free range in a large yard and the coop will only be for sleeping, you can probably get away with six that way also.

You have way more nest boxes than you will ever need for the number of chickens you can keep in that coop. You only need one per every 4 layers. I am a little generous too, as I have three boxes for eight hens.

Hope this helps. I am sure there are other views. Some will say fewer and some will pack them a little tighter.

UGCM

 

[daryl]

and If you had 6 chickens you would really only need 3 nest boxes ,they share

 

[Amy's Animals]

I have 10 chickens and they have a huge run and also get to free range at least 5 days a week. Thw 4X6 henhouse is a pre-build model that already includes the 5 nesting boxes, thats why, by the description it said it could house 6-10 chickens. There was another henhouse that I like better, it was the same model just 4X8 feet and said it could fit 7-14 chickens. Which should I get? The 4X8 is $100 more and my parents are already reluctant about the price of the 4X6 one. I don't know, or should I build my own henhouse?

 

[Judy]

Good advice from UGCM. If you crowd them and they start pecking, or worse, it will be nearly impossible to stop. Three or perhaps even 4 of those next boxes will be a waste of space.

 

[BigPeep]

It will also depend if you are going to use it year round or just for Summer. I have a 4 X 6 converted wooden packing crate for 14 pullets and cockerels. They are not quite full grown and are not yet laying. They then have a very large run, 30 ft by 20 ft or 600 sq ft (42 sq ft per bird) and are only in the coop at night and when it rains. As they tend to want to huddle together at those times anyway, I don't see the cramping as a particular problem. They scrunch themselves down into about a third of the available space. The rest of the time they are outside.

For winter it's a different story, and I am building or acquiring something much larger, and will also have more birds as I have separate batches of chicks inside the barn at the moment.

 

[crazyhen]

Get the larger one of the houses. Chickens are addictive and you always want more. If you get Bantam chickens then the 2ft rule applies but for large breed go with the 4 ft. Gloria Jean

 

[Sillystunt]

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