How many hens can I fit in my coop?

[bobbi-j]

Hello all. We have spent ages constructing a coop and run for our chickens and before purchasing any I would like to know how many chickens I could keep in my coop? They would only be in there over night as they'd be in their run all day every day. I have attached a photo. The main area (not including nest boxes) is 86cm x 83cm and the nest boxes both go out 34 cm and have 3 slots in each (I've heard you don't need very many nest boxes so I will probably take the divides out of one side and use it to put their food/water). I would probably like to get 1 or 2 silkies and the rest would be a mix of hybrids (most likely). There is so much conflicting information out there so I would appreciate any help! Thank you in advance

Something else to consider is your climate. Where are you located? If you get snow and cold in the winter, your chickens are going to spend a lot of time indoors. If it gets hot in the summer, that coop will be too hot for them to want to roost in at night. How big is your run? You could enclose part of that, add s roof and some roosts to make more space, then expand your run.

So many people try to cram as many chickens as they can into the smallest space possible. Chickens need room to roam to be healthy and happy. Over crowded chickens develop bad habits such as bullying and feather picking which eventually could result in cannibalism.

 

[hensforhan]

You said your coop was like 86cm x 83cm... That’s like a 2.9ft x 2.8ft... Very small. Honestly I wouldn’t put anything in it unless there was a very large run. Do you have a run?

We have a 6ft tall, 100sq ft run. There are 4 lower roosts and then 2 higher ones in the coop. The misleading thing for me is the fact that there are 6 nest boxes! That suggested to me that I could keep way more chickens than I can

 

[hensforhan]

Agreeing......I'd only put one chicken in there, unless your run is huge.

Run is 100sq ft and 6ft tall.

 

[hensforhan]

You said your coop was like 86cm x 83cm... That’s like a 2.9ft x 2.8ft... Very small. Honestly I wouldn’t put anything in it unless there was a very large run. Do you have a run?

Also the coop itself is actually 5ft x 3.5ft but there are 2 nest boxes that take up lots on that space. Perhaps I could modify it... I don't know

 

[hensforhan]

Something else to consider is your climate. Where are you located? If you get snow and cold in the winter, your chickens are going to spend a lot of time indoors. If it gets hot in the summer, that coop will be too hot for them to want to roost in at night. How big is your run? You could enclose part of that, add s roof and some roosts to make more space, then expand your run.

So many people try to cram as many chickens as they can into the smallest space possible. Chickens need room to roam to be healthy and happy. Over crowded chickens develop bad habits such as bullying and feather picking which eventually could result in cannibalism.

We are located in Wiltshire. We rarely get snow, sometimes in February we get the odd spell but nothing extreme. Again, I wouldn't say our summers are too extreme. That's a fantastic idea actually! I may look into that. Thank you

 

[21hens-incharge]

Also the coop itself is actually 5ft x 3.5ft but there are 2 nest boxes that take up lots on that space. Perhaps I could modify it... I don't know

I know hearing all this is disappointing. I am super sorry you ended up with a not so great coop.

It MIGHT be able to be modified but that coop (as 95% of prefabs are) is made of a very soft wood and might not hold up to modifying well.

It can work as an integration coop, sick bay, grow out for a few young ones or such so all is not lost.

Take a breath and read in this section....There are tons of great (many are inexpensive) coop ideas that would better suit your needs. There are also tons of articles about keeping a flock healthy too.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/

 

[Sally PB]

Tre3hugger, wow, I really like what you built. I especially LOVE the handle on your guinea house door.

OP, my hubby built a 4x8 coop for me. So I thought, YAY! I can have 8 chickens at 4 sqft/per. I have 4 chickens in there now. I don't think there's really enough room for 4 more. Two or three more, I think. They take up a lot more space when they get big; when they were chicks, the coop looked a lot bigger.

 

[Cryss]

I noticed all of these so called coops, even the ones Tractor Supply sells, are really only appropriate to be used as a rabbit hutch for 1 or 2 rabbits! I had rabbits at 1 point so I know what I am talking about. Something that is only 2'X3' is not enough space for 2 chickens. A coop is not only just for sleeping, when the weather is bad they're going to stay in there more, and if you get bad weather for several days in a row they are going to be bored and poop is going to accumulate, which is not healthy. I don't understand why places continue to advertise products and how many they can accommodate incorrectly! The same goes for bird cages, they will sell a cage saying it's appropriate for a Cockatiel when it's not even big enough for a Canary! It's just not right.

Amen! Anyone who says the coop is only for sleeping and laying eggs hasn’t been around chickens. When cold winds blow mine run for shelter. No, they don’t mind cold weather but they clearly don’t care for cold gusts of wind. There are days occasionally that they need to be locked inside. Like the day we had tornado warnings. Seriously each chicken needs 4sqft (roughly 0.37 square meters). Crowded chickens fight for space. I do mean fight!

The worst part is, TSC tells you that they're suitable for 5 or 6 birds....ridiculous. From my understanding, it's not great to keep rabbits in hutches either, but I haven't owned a rabbit, just done loads of research because I'd like to get one.

Don’t I know it! I bought one of those prefabs. Advertised as holding 8 chickens. I learned the hard way it held one.

Here, I'll rewrite a prefab coop description to make it accurate...

(an actual prefab coop description)
Precision Pet® chicken coops are an easy and convenient alternative to building a chicken coop from scratch. The Hen House II Chicken Coop fits 5 1 chickens, includes 2 internal roosting bars that are too low to roost on, and 2 nesting boxes. This chicken coop also features multiple access doors for egg collecting, an easy clean slide-out tray, and an asphalt roof for extra protection, not enough ventilation, and terrible latches. The Hen House II Chicken Coop provides your chickens with a safe, durable, and easy-to-clean shelter with premium features.

You missed a few things:
“Roosting bars too low to roost on” causing chickens to sleep, and consequently poop, in the nests. (Roosts need to be higher than the nests.)
“Easy clean slide-out tray”. Pull it out and watch it get squeegee-ed dumping it all on the floor below. The metal tray is cold in winter making thin layers of bedding far too cold for feet and freezing droppings in place making a lump that won’t go through the drawer slot. Eventually you will just never pull it out and will cover it with a thick layer of bedding.
“Not enough ventilation” which needs to be well above their heads when they are standing tall on their roost. (See previous comment “roosting bars too low to roost on”)
Note: drafts are not ventilation. Check door jams and look for warped wall boards.
“easy-to-clean” if you don’t mind climbing only the top half of your body inside to reach the other side. Bending in half also is your new exercise when trying to grab a bird for inspection or care making your physical therapist rich.

Yeah, been there, done that, finally completed a large walk-in coop.

 

[hensforhan]

I know hearing all this is disappointing. I am super sorry you ended up with a not so great coop.

It MIGHT be able to be modified but that coop (as 95% of prefabs are) is made of a very soft wood and might not hold up to modifying well.

It can work as an integration coop, sick bay, grow out for a few young ones or such so all is not lost.

Take a breath and read in this section....There are tons of great (many are inexpensive) coop ideas that would better suit your needs. There are also tons of articles about keeping a flock healthy too.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/

Thank you for your kind advice. Your reassurance is much appreciated Can you suggest any modifications? I know you said it may not work but I'd like to give it a go rather than waste it.

I will take a look, thank you

 

[DouglasB]

My coop is inside the run. The coop is 70 sq ft, the run is 19x30, hog fence panels, hardware cloth, solid roof on half, hog fence hardware cloth on the other half of the roof. I have 12 hens, bigger than they need with room to grow. Build it bigger than you think you need because you will get more chickens.