How many chickens.....

[WhiteCochinLover]

How many chickens can I fit in this coop??? The base is 47 1/2" x 49 1/2".

 

[Ridgerunner]

Your link is broken. There is a space after the com that should not be there.

There are a whole lot of things that go into how much space you need, especially climate and how you manage them. The generic guideline is 4 square feet in the coop with 10 square feet in the run for each full sized chicken. This will keep most of us out of trouble in many different circumstances, but if you have weather or management practices that keep them confined to the coop portion only for extended lengths of time you might run into problems with this many. On the other hand, if they have access to that run 365 days a year and you don't sleep in on a Saturday all that much and can find someone that will get there early to let them out when you are gone on vacation, you can probably go with another one or two.

So I would say you probably have room for 4 chickens in there. You might be able to squeeze another one or two in there depending on your management practices and climate, but I find that the more extra space I give them, the less I have to work taking care of them. For example, think in terms of shoveling chicken poop.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

[VelvettFog]

Quote:
Dead ones or live ones? Dead chickens take up about 250 sq inches. If my math is correct, you have about 165,000 sq inches available. So, that's about 650 birds or so. Of course you have to stack them like cord wood, and you might need to squish the last few some to get the doors to close. So maybe shoot for just 600?

Obviously I jest - but this question should never be answered with just a number. (Forty-Two) How many chickens you can 'fit' into a coop is dependent on two very important things how you choose to care for your flock, and your local climate. While I might be able to keep 6 or 8 birds in the coop shown in your post, others may find that just three is the most they would attempt.

You will find that this website will strongly suggest (at times I think too strongly) 4 sq ft per bird inside the coop, and 10 sq ft per bird outside as a run. Most folks here will tell you those are minimum figures and that more space is better.

Good luck.

Fog

 

[WhiteCochinLover]

Okay well I let the chickens out of the run sometimes and they are ALL bantams.... I already have nine and I am hoping to have 11 because I want to buy to more.... my chickens when they go in at night they sleep really close together... and that isnt the size of the run its the size of the house that they sleep in.... I will go see how big the run is.....

 

[Fred's Hens]

The coop is tiny, but keeping bantams helps. Did I miss what part of the country? This makes a huge difference. Here, with severe winters, 2 hens would still go about nuts in a 4' by 4' coup in the winter. If they can go outside 360 days a year? It is much less important to have a lot of room, as it is merely sleeping quarters. of course, there are those stormy, rainy days just about everywhere.

I dislike the "formulas". Practically speaking, chickens need a lot of room to fight overcrowding and boredom. Way more than most folks think. (think double).

 

[WhiteCochinLover]

I live in Maryland....

 

[rpchris]

Chickens are like children. Give them a field to run around in and they'll all play in the same 10 ft radius. Cram them together in the back seat and they poke each other to death.

 

[Jenny28]

Quote:
Ain't that the truth.