Is my coop ready for 16 chicks?

[Duhonmommie]

My coop is 8'x5'9", and is taller than a grown man. My run is about the size of half a basketball court. I currently have 3 golden commets living there. I won't be able to free range until their all adult sized as I have cats. Once that's available, they'll have ¾ of an acre to roam.
I live in Louisiana. We're already experiencing low 80s. The tarps are because my neighbor recently decided to cut down all the trees that provided shade from the western sun. The floor of the run is concrete. It was a dog cage when we bought the property. But we put any downed limbs and leaves and such in there pretty regularly, so it's well covered.
Thanks for any tips! 

 

[Rldad1]

Your coop is a bit small for 16 chickens. The rule of thumb is 4 square feet per chicken in the coop and 10 square feet in the run. Using that formula you have room (barely) for 12 chickens, For 16 chickens you need 64 square feet of coop space and 160 square feet of run space.

 

[Duhonmommie]

Your coop is a bit small for 16 chickens. The rule of thumb is 4 square feet per chicken in the coop and 10 square feet in the run. Using that formula you have room (barely) for 12 chickens, For 16 chickens you need 64 square feet of coop space and 160 square feet of run space.

Is that square footage assuming large or small chickens? One article I read said 2-3 sq.ft. in the coop and 4 sq.ft. in the run.

It's been a while since I measured my run. I'll have to do that again soon.

 

[3KillerBs]

Is that square footage assuming large or small chickens? One article I read said 2-3 sq.ft. in the coop and 4 sq.ft. in the run.

It's been a while since I measured my run. I'll have to do that again soon.

2 square feet in the coop is the figure for 6-week chicks out of the brooder. By POL a standard-size hen should have 4 square feet in the coop and 10 in the run.

Some breed tolerate tighter confines, but the more birds you have in a given space the more intensively you have to manage the manure and the more likely you are to see behavioral issues due to crowding.

Commercial chickens are kept at higher densities, but they are also intensively managed (and often debeaked).

 

[Rldad1]

Is that square footage assuming large or small chickens? One article I read said 2-3 sq.ft. in the coop and 4 sq.ft. in the run.

It's been a while since I measured my run. I'll have to do that again soon.

3KillerBs is correct. You might get by with 3 square feet in the coop with Bantams but IMO you are pushing your luck. The bigger, the better.

 

[Duhonmommie]

I would need to add another building. Any suggestions?

 

[3KillerBs]

I would need to add another building. Any suggestions?

You probably should browse through the coop pages here to see what appeals to you and what works with your budget and construction skills. There are hundreds of possible options.