How much space for how many chickens?

[mama kristy]

I'm worried my coop is too small for the chickens I have...and I have a mean hen pecking my other chickens right where their back meets their tail feathers! And plucking out their tail feathers!! Could this mean they don't have enough space? Is there a good rule of thumb on space per chicken????

 

[Mutt Farm]

I'm worried my coop is too small for the chickens I have...and I have a mean hen pecking my other chickens right where their back meets their tail feathers! And plucking out their tail feathers!! Could this mean they don't have enough space? Is there a good rule of thumb on space per chicken????

Maybe. Two square feet of floor space per chicken is the absolute minimum. For 2 chickens, the minimum is 4X4. For 4 chickens, the minimum is 8X8. On it goes. If you have plenty of space, food water, roosting space, you might just have a cranky chicken.

 

[Toddrick]

Maybe. Two square feet of floor space per chicken is the absolute minimum. For 2 chickens, the minimum is 4X4. For 4 chickens, the minimum is 8X8. On it goes. If you have plenty of space, food water, roosting space, you might just have a cranky chicken.

I think the rule of the thumb (not necessarily the minimum) for medium sized chickens is around 4sqft (2x2). So a 4x4 can easily hold four chickens. Therefore an 8x8 (16sqft) can easily hold 8 birds, although there is a lot of synergy the larger you get, so an 8x8 could probably hold 12 chickens or more I suspect. That's just for the coop, not the run.

It gets confusing LOL. Anyways, maybe the problem isn't just the space, but the design of the roosts. Maybe the bar that the "mean" bird is on needs raised some so that it doesn't have a tail in its face every night.

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to BYC 4-5 sg.feet per bird in the coop NOT including roost & nesting boxes, and 10 sg.feet per bird in the outdoor run. Bantam breeds could have less. BIG , heavy breeds like Brahmas would need more.

If you are in an area where weather extremes might keep your birds indoors for some length of time it's better to opt for larger space. Cramped up chickens tend to resort to feather plucking, bullying and at extremes cannibalism.

Roosts should be far enough from a wall so the birds can turn around without being injured. They can also be different heights. for a very heavy breed or poor flyers, a lower roost will suit them best. The average bird generally likes a higher roost. You also need enough roosting space so no one is "cheek to cheek" unless they choose to me.

You may want to check out the coops section for ideas and examples

 

[N F C]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

x2 on drumstick diva's advice. The more space they have, the happier the birds will be (although sometimes, even with plenty of space, you can have one that wants to throw her weight around by intimidating the others).

Good luck to you, nice to have you here!

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!