How many square feet per chicken in the coop?

[pipsypeach]

We have a 4x8 coop. A 16x20 run attached. We currently have 3 girls but we just got 12 more from TSC on Monday. Our breeds will be speckled susses, BO, EE, Golden Comets and possible Amberlink. We have 4 big nesting boxes and a roost that the girls now don't even use. I'm wondering if we are going to have to rearrange the inside once we add the new babies to it in a couple months. Thoughts?

 

[Irishhenman]

The 2 sq feet would only be for the spring, summer and fall. During those times they free-range all day and don't spend any time in the coop besides laying and sleeping. During the winter when they spend more time inside I move them to a larger, insulated coop where they would have about 4 sq feet.


I'm in southern Manitoba so our climate isn't super hot like in the southern US.

I don't think you have considered that people in other countries and even other areas of your country that have completely different climates.

The British poultry society recommends a minimum of 1 s/f per bird, I prefer to use 1 and 1/2 s/f per bird though. Everyone's situation is different though. In my main house is 4x4 and houses 15 hens but they have a big run, about 1850 s/f. We hardly get any snow during the year and any snow that falls doesn't last much more than a few hours.

 

[clueless chic]

I currently have 5 chicks. 2 Buff Orpingtons and 3 barnyard mixes (Barred Rock & ?) and I want to get 3 Arcauna. We are planning on building a 5x5 coop with a 12 ft. run. Do you think that will be big enough?

 

[clueless chic]

Our new plan is to make a 4 x 8 coop with a 12 x 8 run. We have a 15 x 15 concrete slab in the yard that we are considering using. Do you think it would be a good idea or should we build on the ground?

 

[beccaWA]

OK. I have 8 coming-up Australorps; 2 older chickens, and 6 ducks (ground dwellers). My coop is large, about 12 x 16 at least. Maybe more like 16x20. Will these chickens (I havent moved the babes into the big coop yet), the ducks and the older chickens all "fit?" I am considering getting a few more chickens (adults). Only 3 more. What say you? (I live in the frozen north of north Idaho/eastern WA) so chickens may not get out in winter too much.

 

[pernotcortez]

I would like to say bigger is better,when they are out in the yard/run and dirt is always better than concrete. Of course they squeeze together when sleeping.

 

[KittieChick]

My little coop is a 5X8 inside, but I have only 2 roost poles 52 inches long each. They are used by my 8 chickens. The chicks that hatched last month and mama are still in the nest, but they will go to the roost when time comes. That is minus the males that may be in the bunch. I've seen all mine on one roost pole, and then 6 on top and 2 on the bottom. Like you all my coop is used for is sleeping and nesting. Although this broody hen caught me by supprise and hartched the chicks in a nest inside the coop. Right now I would have no problem with 12 or even 14 chickens inside, considering they are out roaming all day. They wake up in the morning, out the door and that's all they see of it unless the have an egg to give me.

I've just started receiving eggs from 2 of my girls. Yay!!!! I caught one of them today around noon still in the nest. My concern is that they'll lay elsewhere in the yard, like under the deck or RV where I can't reach. I've been keeping everyone confined to coop/pen until noonish so that any eggs can be laid. My Delaware is laying late morning, and then the Black Australorp today at noon. Do I need to be concerned and keep everyone confined 24/7 for a week or so until they're all kicked in and laying in the boxes?

Oh, and I ate number 1 egg from last Thursday. It was totally yummy and gorgeous.

 

[CrazyTalk]

The international rule of thumb is about two square feet per bird. Good to see you want to free range rather than employ the feed lot style of raising chickens used here a lot on BYC: small coop and a bare dirt run. When I hear the 4:10 rule mentioned I cringe and think about the cattle feed lots out west.

Yup, the rule also doesn't scale at all. 8 sqft for 2 birds is crowded. 80 sqft for 20 isn't. 8000 sqft for 2000 is downright roomy. Height matters, composition of flock matters, breed matters, etc.

 

[Noahettes Mom]

The shed that I am buying for my chickens for a coop, is 8 ft by 10 ft by 6 ft tall, how many chickens can I fit comfortably in that space? I will be putting in nesting boxes and roosts for the chickens. I am making sure that if I purchase this as a coop it will be plenty big for the chickens I have and more (as I am buying more this spring)
thanks, Channah

 

[beccaWA]

I have a large coop (12 x 16 ft.) and I have 10 chickens and 7 ducks in there. Granted, the ducks take up only floor space, so I need more floor space for ducks. Plus ducks are extremely messy. I would not put any more birds in my coop. If I had only chickens, I probably would put about 25 in there. I know "the standard" says 1 bird per 2 square foot, but I think that's pretty crowded.

For your size coop (just my opinion - nothing official!) I'd probably go with something like no more than about 20 birds. I like my birds to be "comfy" and also the more birds you have, the more you have to clean out the coop! (Comfy for them... comfy for me.... LOL)

What kind do you have? I have Black Australorp chickens, Khaki Campbell and Cayuga Ducks.