How many chickens will fit?

[me and chickens]

In my backyard there is already a 8 foot by 8 foot dog house/shed. I am hoping to convert into a chicken coop in the spring.

The only thing is that /I would also want to get more chickens. I have heard that every chicken needs 2 to 3 square feet but I want them to have enough space during the winter when they will most likely be in there twenty-four-seven as it gets really cold. If any one has any info on how many chickens you think could fit comfortably please help!

Also post pictures of your coops for many people's inspiration. I know there are some good ones. right now my chickens are in a horse stall that is surrounded with heavy duty wire so it is not very exciting but it is functional as a temporary arrangement. I do not have any pictures of it.

PLEASE HELP, and thank you for reading

 

[Pyxis]

! Actually, in the coop each chicken needs four square feet, especially if they will be inside a lot in the winter, and in the run they need 10 square feet. So if you were going to use the dog shed as the coop, you could fit 16 chickens in there as long as you build a run for them that is at least 160 square feet

 

[me and chickens]

Thanks for the help.

Hopefully I can narrow down how many chicken breeds I want because the list is endless

 

[me and chickens]

Thanks for the help.

Hopefully now I can narrow down the amount of chicken breeds I want because the list is endless.

I have only had my first flock for 4 months and I already want more!

 

[me and chickens]

opps I posted that twice

I am new

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! I've had chickens for over twenty years, generally overwinter thirty to thirty-five, and still have a wish list of breeds! Pick a few that sound interesting, and will do well in your climate, and order in spring. Enjoy! Mary

 

[me and chickens]

Were I live we go through all four seasons and have rely snowy winters. On my wish list there is....
Black Australorp
Blue Ameraucana
Blue Cochin
Black Copper Maran
Blue Splash Maran
Gloden Buff (Golden comet/Cinnamon Queen)
Golden laced wyandotte
Light Brahma
Welsummer
Silkie (White, Buff, and Black)
German Spitzhauben
White Crested Blue Polish
Ancona
Delaware (not sure about because some people say they are aggressive and egg eaters)
Silver gray Dorking
Mille Fleur Bearded D'uccle
Buff laced Polish
Salmon Faverolle
any recommendations would be great

 

[me and chickens]

I also already have seven chickens
silver Laced Wyandotte
Speckled Sussex (roster)
Buff Orpington
White rock
Barred Rock
Easter Egger
Rhode Island red
They are all my pets and I do not really care about production

 

[dekel18042]

Were I live we go through all four seasons and have rely snowy winters. On my wish list there is....
Black Australorp
Blue Ameraucana
Blue Cochin
Black Copper Maran
Blue Splash Maran
Gloden Buff (Golden comet/Cinnamon Queen)
Golden laced wyandotte
Light Brahma
Welsummer
Silkie (White, Buff, and Black)
German Spitzhauben
White Crested Blue Polish
Ancona
Delaware (not sure about because some people say they are aggressive and egg eaters)
Silver gray Dorking
Mille Fleur Bearded D'uccle
Buff laced Polish
Salmon Faverolle
any recommendations would be great

Welcome. On the breeds you have listed, my opinion only so take with a grain of salt. You didn't mention your primary purpose in keeping chickens. Pets? Eggs? Good egg layers? A colorful egg basket. Of the breeds I have experience with. Not sure how winter hardy the silkies are and they could get picked on. My marans (blue splash and black copper) lay beautiful dark eggs, when they lay. They are the poorest of my egg layers and probably won't be replaced although they are beautiful birds and I did make some nice olive eggers with them. The welsumer lay slightly better and they're eggs are very dark too. Some of them have a pretty speckling. My little Mille fleur D'Uccle is tiny and really cute with her coloring and feathered legs and feet. She didn't lay her first egg until almost ten months, and again, a pet, not something I would keep for eggs. The salmon faverolles tend to be at the bottom of the pecking order so it would help to have several. They tend to go broody a lot, so if you want a hen to hatch eggs, that might be your choice. The golden buffs are production birds and would probably give you the most and the largest eggs. I plan to add some to my flock next spring to increase my production a bit. My best and most consistent layers are my Easter eggers who lay pretty colored eggs and also lay my largest eggs. There hardy in all types of weather so I will always have room for them.

 

[Pyxis]

I have actually owned almost every breed on your list, except for Delawares, Dorkings, and Spitzhaubens. My person favorites are silkies and cochins, of which I keep breeding flocks, and the d'uccle bantams. I also keep just about all the others you listed, and they're all good choices. Just choose whichever ones appeal to you the most, especially if you don't care about egg production