How many to add?

[Xtina]

I currently have two old egg layers in a space that is about 250 square feet, minus the size of their coop (4x8) and the base of the hazelnut tree in the run. So let's call it 220 square feet of good running around space. I want to start a small flock of heritage birds for meat and I'm wanting to plan out how many I should get. Because they'll be dual-purpose, they'll grow slowly, so they'll be there a while, but they won't be there forever either. I want to keep a happy, not crowded flock, but I also don't want to be wasting my space. I'm basically shooting for a happy medium that keeps everyone happy! How many birds would you guys say I should have in that size of a space? They run indoors and outdoors from the coop freely all day long. If I need to add coop space to accommodate more birds, that is no problem, as I think we're going to make meat birds a permanent backyard hobby.

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

They say 4 square feet of coop space per bird normally, so you have room for six more.

 

[Xtina]

Hm, that sounds kind of small and doesn't take into account my ability to add coop space. What would you think the rate is for run space?

 

[Xtina]

I'm realizing that this topic has been so thoroughly covered already that there's no point in me continuing it! I just can't figure out how to delete the thread. Sorry guys!

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

Run space is 10 square feet per chicken. Mind, I'm using the minimums and 4 square feet of coop space is specifically for chickens that have access to a run. So if you do the math and add on to your current coop... 250 total square feet, 14 total square feet per chicken, 17.8, so round to an absolute max of 18 chickens. So 72 square feet of coop space and 178 square feet of run area.

There are probably some ways you can maximize/increase your run space a bit too. Go verticle a bit with some perches an maybe a picnic table for some added square footage... Others on here might have some good ideas on that one.

I didn't see before that you were looking to expand your coop.

Just reading too fast I guess.

 

[hensonly]

Quote:
Huh? Math isn't my strong point, but if I punch 220 (square feet) into my calculator, and divide by 4 (square feet per bird), I get 55. The house is the problem, obviously a 4 x 8 house is not going to fit 55 birds! But figuring two feet of roost space per bird, since they only get locked in to that small space at night, and assuming the roost is (or could be) eight feet long, you still only have house space for four birds. Seems to me that if you built a bigger house, attached to the run but not taking up space inside it, you could have a whole bunch of birds!

I started last fall with a batch of 25 chicks, dual purpose. They are about 4 1/2 months old, and sometime this spring or early summer, the roos will go into the freezer (except the one I keep to father the next generation). That will cut the flock about in half. The hens I don't want to breed from will go in with my laying hens. That should bring the roo/hen ratio down to a level for reasonable fertility to happen. I hope to raise the next generation on an as - needed basis. Never done it before, don't know how it'll work out in practice, but that's my plan.

you might also consider splitting the run into multiple sections, each with a chicken house. If you raise chicks under a hen, you will need a separate place for them to be, near the flock they'll join but protected from it while the babies are tiny. You may also need to separate some birds for a while at some point (injury, or one getting bullied, or tiffing roos, or whatever). And, with more birds, they may destoy the grass, so if you could move them from area to area to let the grass recover, that might be good. Just suggestions I've read on this forum, hope they help!

 

[Xtina]

This is such a difficult thing to think about, with so many elements to consider. I just went out and measured and I only have five feet of roost space. But another thread said plan 1 foot per bird, and looking at the way my girls roost, even that seems generous. On the other hand, I don't even have to worry about that for a whole 2 months! In the meantime, I have to figure out how I'm going to brood them, since the way I did it last time might not be ideal for a larger number of birds, which I have to figure out how I'm going to house for two months! Gah! Meat birds is going to be a complicated and expensive endeavor. I'm just sick of eating factory farmed chickens. I'm not doing it to save money and it's sure as heck not going to save me any money!

 

[Xtina]

Oh, also it's 10 feet of run space per bird, so I could fit 22 birds in the run if I had the coop space for them. That might be pushing it for a tiny city lot! I don't plan to get anywhere near that many. I was kind of hoping to have a maximum of 10 birds, and even that seems high for my operation.

 

[wordgirl]

Quote:
If you would like 10 birds, you could add 2 feet to the length of your coop so that it is 4X10. That's 4 sq. feet per chicken inside, and then you have about 20.5 sq. feet per bird for them outside. Is that what you're looking for?

 

[Xtina]

Yes! Thanks for all your help, guys.