How many more hens can fit in this coop?

[ChickenShepherd_6116]

So ... what ventilation do they have in the winter?

Well I have my pop door below them, copula up top, and the eaves. I just close the windows to prevent drafts right on the hens. I just have them open in the summer because it gets super hot here and it provides a breeze to keep the coop a little cooler.

 

[AinaWGSD]

Dang that thing is built to withstand a defcon 9, class 10, nuclear bomb!!! Love it. I think I know who built it. Hey not to argue with or ruffle any feathers here..... cram that sucker full 'o chickens!

You got 6 in there and they free range all day? Chicken math says you can do 6 more....easy peasy. They're only sleeping in there yea? And yea not to make anyone angry, at least in the USA... but my 1/2 a cent worth says... you got room for more ladies.

Maybe. After all, the ndusrty standard for egg factories is only 1sq ft per bird. Or maybe adding more chickens will cause behavioral problems and bullying. After all, factory birds often get the tip of their beaks cut off to prevent them from pecking other chickens bloody and killing each other.

Many undesirable behaviors can be prevented simply by not overcrowding. I believe the 4sq ft per bird recommendation was settled on through trial and error, less space than that and BYC members have been more likely to see bullying, feather picking, etc. I don't know if there have been any formal studies done to back that recommendation (if anyone has any I'd love a link so I can read it) or if it's all anecdotal.

As to the theory that they only sleep in there and if they're free ranging, I also gotta disagree with that. If it works for you and your birds, that's great. But op is in an area that gets harsher winter weather that will make at least some, if not all, of the birds not want to venture outside. Maybe for days at a time. We got 10.5 inches of snow two weeks ago and none of my chickens stepped foot out of the coop for 10 days until the snow mostly melted. That coop has a max capacity (at 4sq ft/bird) of 30. With only 20 birds I still felt kinda bad about the amount of space they had even though I didn't see any bullying and the confinement was 100% voluntary. I did see a few extra scabs on combs from squabbles though, and I'm glad they had a little "extra" room to get away from disagreements.

Every flock is different, and some can handle less space than others. But without actually being there and having first hand experience with op's birds we can only make recommendations based on the size of the coop and generally agreed on minimums.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Maybe. After all, the ndusrty standard for egg factories is only 1sq ft per bird. Or maybe adding more chickens will cause behavioral problems and bullying. After all, factory birds often get the tip of their beaks cut off to prevent them from pecking other chickens bloody and killing each other.

Yes, we generally manage then differently. Not only do the commercial operations typically de-beak their chickens so they can't eat each other, they chickens they use are bred to be docile, to take confinement well. There are other differences between the commercial operations and us.

I believe the 4sq ft per bird recommendation was settled on through trial and error, less space than that and BYC members have been more likely to see bullying, feather picking, etc. I don't know if there have been any formal studies done to back that recommendation (if anyone has any I'd love a link so I can read it) or if it's all anecdotal.

We both started on this forum about the same time. I remember a lot of discussion on whether the right number to use was 3 sq ft per bird or 4. I am not aware of any study or scientific approach to this. The way I remember it, one of the guru's of the day said to use 4. She was well-respected on this forum but also sure she was always correct. I think her personality as much as anything got 4 sq ft as pretty much accepted by many.

As to the theory that they only sleep in there and if they're free ranging, I also gotta disagree with that. If it works for you and your birds, that's great. But op is in an area that gets harsher winter weather that will make at least some, if not all, of the birds not want to venture outside.

Good point. Or you leave the pop door closed for a while after they wake up. I personally do not believe chickens recognize coop space or run space but just recognize whether they have enough space, wherever it is. But it has to be available to be usable. If the pop door is closed the run is not available, even in great weather. You see a lot of people on this forum enclose their runs in plastic in winter to keep snow and wind out, making that space available in winter.

Every flock is different, and some can handle less space than others.

Absolutely. Many people get away with 3 sq ft per bird in the coop, or less. Occasionally you read stories on here where 4 sq ft is not enough. None of these rules of thumb we use are natural laws cast in stone. They are general guidelines that work most of the time. They are often overkill. But occasionally they are not enough.