How many square feet per chicken?

rooster brandon.

Songster
9 Years
Sep 10, 2010
530
7
131
Kodak, by knoxville
How many square feet do i need per chicken...................in the run............and coop?
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4 in the coop, it varies for the run. Most will say at LEAST 6. I get by with less.

So an 8X 10 coop would fit 20. 80 / 4 = 20
 
The standard quoted on BYC is usually 4 for the coop and 10 for the run. Like everything else, it depends on your chickens. If they start showing signs of overcrowding, like pecking each other, then you need more. In order to have the ground stay green that is, in order for them not to eat everything in sight and turn your run into a desert, the answer is 87. Obviously, most people don't provide this unless they don't use a run and let them free range.
 
I go by the 4 sq. foot rule, but my birds free range so it's not an issue for me. The only time my birds are in the coop is for egglaying and sleeping.
 
Depends on the birds you choose, too. Larger chickens need more space than smaller chickens. Consider the "personality" of the breeds you choose, too. More aggressive breeds will need more space than more docile birds. Also, how big will your overall flock be? A flock with multiple roosters would need additional space yet so that they can get away from each other. (Hint: Add at least 50% over what you think you need if you'll have a small flock of birds because you WILL end up with more birds than you planned. The exception would be if your laws don't allow you to have more than a certain number of birds.)
 

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