How many hens?

[Heffalump]

Recently moved house and our new chicken run has 5 hens in a run/enclosed area measuring 13ftx 53ft.
How many hens would you put here?

We get rescue hens and keep them for fun and for their eggs. I would like to get some more, but I really want all of them to have room to spread out and not be crowded at all.

Current coop houses 6 but I need a new one, so can upsize that too.

Thanks

 

[Ridgerunner]

That's a real common question on here and I consider it a good one. I responded to a similar one this morning. There are a few differences but the principles are the same. To save me a lot of typing I'll give you a link to that thread.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ordering-coops-online.1266374/page-2#post-20360992

Welcome to the forum, glad you joined. You might modify your profile to show your general location. That info can really help in a lot of questions, for climate and other things. Climate would be important in a specific answer to you.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Coop/night time housing notwithstanding, that run could theoretically take 60 birds or so. But if you want to have things growing in there for them to forage on, I'd limit it to 10-15 birds. The greater the stocking density, the faster they'll wipe out the vegetation.
It isn't just from them eating it, they'll scratch it up, cause soil compaction and their feces will add phosphorus to the soil making it inhospitable to some plants.

 

[Heffalump]

Thanks, that's very helpful. There are lots of little bushes and trees in there that the hens seem to enjoy. I would like to keep it that way. Will try 10.