How many hens is about the maximum for a 4' x 8' coop?

[yyz0yyz0]

I currently have 8 birds in a 4x8 coop. There seems to be no problems with space, but I leave the door open all the time so they can always go out to the run if they are feeling cramped.

I have 8ft of roost in there and from what I see when they are roosting I think I can go as high as 12 birds before I limit out on the coop. 12 is more than recommended for that size coop but I think the open door gives me some leeway. I also have a run with 180sq/ft of space so there is extra room out there for them as well.

 

[Temp]

The normal rule is 4 sq feet per chicken in the coop and 10 in the run. So if you have a 4x8 coop, you can have up to 8 chickens without issue. This is an estimate, and it could go higher or lower depending on your conditions, location, breed of chicken etc. Extra height does not really gain more capacity, its floor space that is counted.

You might find a private seller that would sell you a small order, or go in with someone to split them so you each get a few. Most states have minimum requirements by law for commercial sellers. I know in CT it is 6.

In my own mind I feel extra height does gain at least a small amount of comfort for chickens. A taller space provides more cubic feet so it seems that ventilation and air quality might be easier to deal with and it allows you to provide plenty of roosts at various heights. I have about double the roosting space I need and notice the birds sit all over the place during the day for short periods of time but all crowd onto the highest perch at night. I am thinking of adding another recreational type roost in the form of a small tree trunk with some short limbs left attached. I even have some places to perch in my small run, I think they enjoy flying up and down just for the fun of it. I'm not a expert but it is my observation that they seem happier in a tall coop thus just maybe a extra bird or 2 might be kept in the same number of sq ft.

 

[Quadzilla32]

Hey guys, seems like I have found answer but just want to bounce is off of you and make sure I'm making the right choice.

I currently have six hens and looking to possibly add two more. five of the hens are Egger mixes of some sort and one is a polish. None of them are that big and don't take up that much room, I'm looking to add a bluebell and a GLW. My coop is 4x8 with three nesting boxes attached to the side so no floor space is taken up from them. The run itself is 8x12 or 8x10 i cant remember at the moments. The coop is elevated so they have the whole 10/12 ft to use. I have two 4ft roosting bars inside and they tend to only use one and have extra space left on the one. Sadly I am replacing one of my hens that recently passed so at one point there were seven hens in the coop. The door is always open during the day so they can go in and out freely until dark.

Last thing I want to do is make their living space cramped and since it snows I don't want them to be stuck inside a 4x8 coop and get stir crazy. On a side note is there anything you can add to the inside of the coop to help keep them entertained when they are inside out of the cold?

 

[muddy75]

A good boredom buster is to hang a cabbage for them to peck at and eat when not able to free range. A dust bath can also be beneficial when the ground is frozen

Hey guys, seems like I have found answer but just want to bounce is off of you and make sure I'm making the right choice.

I currently have six hens and looking to possibly add two more. five of the hens are Egger mixes of some sort and one is a polish. None of them are that big and don't take up that much room, I'm looking to add a bluebell and a GLW. My coop is 4x8 with three nesting boxes attached to the side so no floor space is taken up from them. The run itself is 4x12 or 4x10 i cant remember at the moments. The coop is elevated so they have the whole 10/12 ft to use. I have two 4ft roosting bars inside and they tend to only use one and have extra space left on the one. Sadly I am replacing one of my hens that recently passed so at one point there were seven hens in the coop. The door is always open during the day so they can go in and out freely until dark.

Last thing I want to do is make their living space cramped and since it snows I don't want them to be stuck inside a 4x8 coop and get stir crazy. On a side note is there anything you can add to the inside of the coop to help keep them entertained when they are inside out of the cold?

 

[Quadzilla32]

A good boredom buster is to hang a cabbage for them to peck at and eat when not able to free range. A dust bath can also be beneficial when the ground is frozen

I have a spot where I hang lettuce from and tomatoes in the run but i mean inside the coop. For example today is the first day we have had snow and its ben 13 degrees out and there is some snow on the ground in their run but there is definitely space that doesn't have any. So far they have ventured out once said nope and are staying inside the coop. I don't want them to get bored inside and start fighting.

 

[Shadrach]

NO, this isn't a riddle or a joke

We have a tall coop that is about the size of a large outhouse in height. It is 4' by 8'. We had gotten 5 chicks last spring, but had to part with a roo due to crowing issues. So we hae 5 hens. I would love to add some more hens, but wondering how many would be a maxium amount? We have the upper portion of the coop enclosed with a roost area and nesting boxes, so that have a good amount of room altogether. Would love to add to the group. Also, is there a place where I can buy a small amount of chicks this type of year - like less than six? Just wondering....

It's rarely about coop square footage. It's almost always about roost space, keeping arrangements and climate.
If the chickens can leave the coop and get into the run or better still range each day every day then you need to concentrate on ventilation and roost space rather than coop size.
If there is any chance that you can't let them out as near to an hour after dawn as is reasonable then you need more then four square feet per chicken ideally.

There are 18 hens in this coop. They have two other coops they could roost in.

The pop door is always open and they can go into the area under the tarpaulin, or into a 6m x 6m run.
This is in England and it rarely freezes in the area I live so being out every day is realistic.