How many feet is your coop? how many feet per chicken do you guys have, or you don't measure it like fish in a pond space?

[JacinLarkwell]

Less than the recommended space, except for my 24/7/365 free ranging flock, but 2 other groups free range nearly all day every day and I have yet to have signs of bullying. If/when I do start to get grumpy attitudes, I will lower the number of birds

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I believe I have the space required for just my 5 hens, but I wonder how you are doing the math? The "run" is a 10x20 chain link dog pen (I took the easy way out) - so that would make it 200 sq. feet. Is that 40 sq. ft. per bird then? Their House is a 4x6 Shed attached to the end of the run, with roosts - they only sleep in there - sometimes lay in a corner, but I try to discourage that by closing the door in daytime.
They get out regularly to free range in the yard - but have become very spoiled and raise a huge fuss if they don't get out. Worse than kids on a rainy day!

Yes. You take the area of the coop and divide by how many birds live in there and do the same with the run. That gives your the coop space per bird and run space per bird

 

[wolfwalker]

I guess it depends on the size of the birds and breeds. At my place I do the following:

8 sq feet for up to 25 newly hatched chicks for 2 weeks.
16 sq ft for up to 25 chicks from 2 to 4 weeks.
32 sq feet for chicks for up to 20 chicks from 4 to 8 weeks
80 sq ft of coop space and 420 sq ft of run space for up to 50 teen chicks
80 sq ft of coop space and 840 sq ft of run space for up to 15 chickens [ breeders]
80 sq ft of coop space and 1000 sq ft of run space for my layers numbers vary from 13 to 35

that does not include the mobile breeder pens for line breeding. those are 16 sq ft of coop space and 64 sq ft of run space for up to 5 chickens. But this is short term and used only during the egg collection for hatching of specific breeds like my Marans or Aloha's

 

[3KillerBs]

If/when I do start to get grumpy attitudes, I will lower the number of birds

*nods*

That was my plan if I'd had problems with the 5 hens in 16 square feet. I was prepared to sell either the troublemaker or the worst layer if I had issues.

But the huge run and mild climate make for a very different environment than it would be for birds that were literally cooped up either by management necessity or by weather.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

*nods*

That was my plan if I'd had problems with the 5 hens in 16 square feet. I was prepared to sell either the troublemaker or the worst layer if I had issues.

But the huge run and mild climate make for a very different environment than it would be for birds that were literally cooped up either by management necessity or by weather.

We're installing a roost bar this weekend in the biggest coop (They have rooster on the nest boxes since the coop was built). We'replanning to replace the nest boxes and have empty space beneath them to clear up roughly 6 sq feet more for them since I added more hens and another male this year and am worried this winter Will be as bad as last. They still technically have the whole run since I leave the coop open and lock the run, but it isn't 100% weather proof

 

[Brooks_]

But the huge run and mild climate make for a very different environment than it would be for birds that were literally cooped up either by management necessity or by weather.

*Nods*

Climate and management practices matter.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I have 14SF per bird in the chicken house and 30SF per bird in the run

 

[agold23]

I am curious what space you guys have per fowl and if that determines how often you let them out.

16sq feet per chicken in the coop and run, but we also free range. The coop was converted from a shed so it’s huge for them and we only have a flock of 6. They free range on our 1 acre yard and don’t venture much into the forest.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Forgot to add, I also use 3x3 rabbit stackers for my lone breeding males since I keep a lot of my pullets in a mixed breed female flock

 

[3KillerBs]

They still technically have the whole run since I leave the coop open and lock the run, but it isn't 100% weather proof

I like the idea of giving chickens choices. They know how to be chickens better than we know how to be chickens, so I figure that they'll decide how much rain, wind, shade, sun, etc. that they want at any given time.