I need an explantion about sq footage!

[Egg Rookie 2010]

Everywhere on this site I read the birds should have like 3 or 4 sq ft per bird IN the coop and 10 sq feet in the run. I am embarking on a large 8 x 10 coop project tomorrow morning. I am only having 15 birds to start but figure I could have like 20 birds maybe 25 down the line when I have a handle on what I am doing. So why does this link:
http://www.meyerhatchery.com/produc...etting&grd_prodone_filter=PRODUCT_ID = 'DCCW'
say they can put 15 birds in a 4 x 6 coop?!? Thats about 1.5 sq foot per bird. Am I totally missing something here?

 

[mississippifarmboy]

They are trying to sell you a coop.

You will see lots of things like that in ads, just gotta look past the advertising.

I wouldn't keep more than 6 in it and it would be very nice for about four standard sized chickens. Go with more room than you think you will need and you'll be happy you did.

 

[Chicken.Lytle]

Chicken battery standards are more profit-oriented than backyard chicken practices.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

square footage =length x width 8x10=80sqft 80sqft/4ft per chicken=20 chickens MAXIMUM in that sized coop. This does not include the run size. If the birds are going to be confined for peroids of time you will need to reduce the number of chickens in the roosts



4x6=24/4=6chickens in a tight fit at that

 

[Egg Rookie 2010]

Well I DID think it was weird to have that many chickens in that tiny coop. I read a post the other day in here that a gal keeps 54 birds in a smaller place than what Im building. Sheesh! I just want healthy birds who will produce breakfast and be happy to do it!

 

[catdaddy66]

It can be astonishing at what sellers will advertise to sell a coop! The worst ones are the private seller on craig's list or in the papers. I read an ad that said a coop of 50 sq ft would "easily hold" 24 "large" birds! I LAUGHED, man, did I laugh!! Then I realized that some poor soul (some might say 'shmuck') would think this a good deal and try to put that many birds in it. Then I was pretty peeved.

Just know the RIGHT way to house chickens and care for them so you do not get taken in by these salespeople. That is as nicely as I can put it!

 

[Cowgirl71]

Several years ago I was very interested in fresh water aquarium fish, and I would get so mad at the pictures they'd have on their aquariums for sale. Such as this one: http://www.petco.com/product/13809/Marineland-Eclipse-Corner-5-Aquarium-Kit.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch

That's a five gallon tank. The rule is one inch of fish per gallon of water. Each of those fish are one to two inches long. I see at least nine fish. Not to mention that they're all "schooling fish," meaning they like to live in groups of their own kind. So you should keep a minimum of six of each. I see one Gold Tiger Barb, four Serpae Tetras, three Giant Danios, and one Gold Gourami. The latter two species get to a mature size of 4-6 inches long. Isn't this totally misleading new aquarists?!

 

[chickenshagg]

If this is your first coop listen to mississippifarmboy and build it bigger that you think you will need. Once the keeping chickens bug bites you and you get a full infection you are going to want more! No matter what breed of chickens that you get you are going to want others and you will want more than just one of that breed. Probably two, three, four, or more of any breed. I built my coop 6X10 thinking I was going to get about 7 chickens now I have 11 and have been up to 15. I am now only limited by the size of my coop. That might be a good thing though, so I don't overload on chickens.

 

[6chicks&aduck]

Cow girl ,i used to work there ( petco)as a lead in the aquatics dept , and highly disagreed w thier advertising , thankfully i saved many a customer from a bad expierience when starting up an aquarium

 

[catdaddy66]

Here, here 6chicks!! Glad to here that some good people are helping out the newer pet people.