How many hens can I fit in my coop?

[Judy Todd]

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.

I never understand why anyone would buy these package coops. do your homework first. I built my first coop myself, with just the help of a teen age boy to frame it. Just sheets of plywood and a tin roof. This year at the age of 81, I added on, again with the help of a neighborhood boy, the same , framing up and then plywood, staining it to waterproof it. I had to add on because of chicken math. All in all, the cost was about $500 for both the old and the new. I am up to 23 now. Don't know how that happens??? I now have enough room for about 28 chickens. I must admit that I am good at recycling and using old lumber from neighbors and friends also.

 

[Judy Todd]

Sadly profit takes precedent. Another added bonus of building coops. When I started building I knew next to nothing about carpentry. I built my first coop with a friend who was a contractor. I assisted and observed and learned. It was just a box with over hangs.
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My first solo project I made a chicken tractor. It came out pretty good. My confidence was growing.
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So then I decided I needed guineas. I built this structure solo MOSTLY WITH PALLETS and it cost me about 200 dollars for roof and 2x4. Not the prettiest but the birds love it and it is still standing. My skills were growing with my confidence.
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My latest build was for a layer flock of 30. I bought the materials as a kit and cut and built the thing myself. It took me an embarrassing amount of time but I did it. Just got help when I had to lift walls etc. It has a storage loft and gambrel roof. I am very proud of it.
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Poultry has helped me learn to be a builder. I am so grateful to them for this skill.

That is my kind of woman. Yippee, Strong women all.

 

[Judy Todd]

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.

to paraphrase, build it and they will come!!!

 

[MrsMumMe]

I have a pen that is 4m2 and I keep four hens in it. One m2 per hen. It only works because I either
a) run it as a deep litter pen, with almost daily additions of kitchen scraps, grass clippings, horse manure, weeds and prunings from the garden, to keep the girls happy and occupied, or
b) move it every second day, to keep them supplied with fresh grass, fresh places to scratch.

If I don't do these things, they get very noisy (we're in suburbia, so that matters!), and the power struggles increase. The bottom of the pecking order increasingly comes under attack, and the 2nd from the top becomes increasingly aggressive. This has been consistent over several batches of chickens.

I've kept 3 hens in that pen. I could be wrong, but they didn't have the level of harmony that 4 hens seem to have. I'd try to keep a minimum of 4 in a pen.

I have a smaller hutch which at times I've had to use. 2square metres on the floor, I built a second level to give them somewhere to avoid each other. I've used the hutch as a bedroom only and created a run around the hutch, to which the hens have had access every day. In that situation, the bullies have been bullies, and the opening of the run each morning was sweet escape for those at the bottom of the pecking order.

 

[lightspeed]

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

If you were to buy one or two metal (not chainlink fence, mind you) dog kennels (ck out priefert.com in Mt Pleasant TX or any SOLIDLY BUILT where you live...like 10X10 ft, 6 ft high and link them together.....you could put your coop INSIDE THE KENNELS. Then place welded wire on top, around the perimeter, AND all around the kennels, including the door. You would be all set! The kennel panels dont require any tools and these kennels are welded with a weather resistant powdered coating. I ordered two and put my coop in one; the other kennel is used as a run for the chickens. If you ever need to.....you can add on.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

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

That is the suggestion but it is a lie. Every manufactured coop I've seen has way more nest boxes than the hens that would fit in the coop would ever need. 2 birds will both use a single nest. 5 of 6 nests will go unused.
They could eliminate all that nonsense and put that money into making the coop bigger.
Builders of commercial prefab coops know nothing about chickens. Some may be carpenters but coop builders they are not.

 

[BDutch]

Good morning, where I live there is a statute requiring 4 square feet per bird. I have followed it and it has served me well. I have never had an outbreak of lice or worms which can be a problem with over crowding. I have also noticed that no matter how many nesting boxes I’ve tried over a few different coop designs, they all want to use the same one and will crowd into it despite having another, empty box available. Good luck with your girls!

Did you try to leave 1 egg in all the nesting boxes they do not prefer?

 

[Misty74829]

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 overnight 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

Your coup is fine for a few birds (Probably 6.) as long as you have additional protected space for them and you are in an area that does not have long harsh winters or long rainy seasons. I live in Central Oklahoma and my hen house is slightly larger than yours but I have an outside run with both covered and uncovered areas, along with 2additional nesting shelters for 9 birds.

 

[Nija Chick]

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.

DUUUDE Dems some SPOILED Chickie's ya got there

 

[ackie]

Can I pick yalls brains about my coop size?

The area under the roof is approximately 85 sqft and the area that's just mesh is approximately 64 sqft.

I have heard 10 sqft per bird in a run, which would mean 6 birds, but my coop is open air and they can definitely spend time in there during the day. It's not just roost space, so I'm unsure.

Looking for numbers assuming they dont free range at all.

(edit: I know chicken wire isnt predator proof. Its somewhere on the to do list)