I don't consider those numbers to be minimums, I consider then to be guidelines. They will keep most people out of trouble most of the time. For a lot of people they are overkill, more than the absolute minimum, but for some people they are not enough. And they cover certain conditions, not every situation is the same. For someone having a flock of a few hens in the backyard where they are all the same age and are already integrated, the 4 and 10 square feet aren't bad. They can even handle being locked in the coop only during bad weather for a while but that is limited.
To me one of the dangers of those guidelines is that they do not take into account any circumstances. Tiny Seramas don't really need quite as much room as the huge Jersey Giants. If you have one rooster those numbers can work out pretty well as long as the rooster and hens are really adults. If they are juveniles, especially with an immature cockerel, you may need more room. If you have multiple males you may need a lot more room. If you have a broody hen you probably need more room, especially after she weans the chicks and leaves them on their own with the flock. How you manage them counts. If both run and coop space are available at the same time you don't need quite as much as if they are stuck in only one.
To me, integration is where the danger from these square feet numbers really shows up. It has nothing to do with square feet, it is about can the weak get away from the strong and stay away. You have 8 chickens and say you are 10 square feet short. That means 70 square feet. Say you had 80 square feet which is about an 8' x 10'. You have four potential aggressors, the older birds. How can you get 4 older pullets in an 8x10 area and the other four be able to separate a safe distance? Can't do it in the run, maybe if the young stay in the coop when the older are all outside. That is often what happens. From what I've see the hen usually leaves the young alone when she goes in to lay an egg.
You are under the magic number in the run and integrating two groups with different maturity levels. Yet no one is getting injured, at least yet. I don't consider you to be in crisis mode though that can change. Clutter and having separate feed and water stations can help improve the quality of what room you have. You may be able to get by with what room you have.
But that can change. The younger are still growing and maturing. As the younger two girls mature they will eventually join the mature pecking order. With my flock that is usually really peaceful but I have a large coop (8' x 12'), two shelters (each 4'x 8'), and over 3,000 square feet of room outside which is available practically every day of the year. Even with your small space I don't expect that to be a big problem.
The two boys are different. It is possible you won't have any problems with them but that would be a surprise. When their hormones take over in puberty it can get really wild as they try to take over flock dominance. They will determine which is boss. That may mean some pretty vicious fights between them. Sometimes those are fights to the death but often if the loser has enough room to run away and get away they work it out. The boys will develop an interest in the girls. Their hormones are telling them to establish dominance over the others, they do that by mating. You have pullets their age that will not want to mate so they try to run away. Yours can't run very far. The older girls may try to run or fight. It can get really wild and messy when those boys come of age. As someone on here once said that is often not for the faint of heart.
I generally don't have a big problem with this, the more room you have the better. But more room does not guarantee that you won't have problems any more than less room guarantees that you will. Individual personalities of the boys and girls play a big part of this.
My suggestion is that of you decide to add more room add enough that they can get some physical separation. That means linear feet, not square feet. Whether you add run space or not, clutter can help. In any case have a place prepared you can separate one or both boys from the flock on a moment's notice, if the need arises it usually shows up quickly. A wire dog cage can usually work for that if you have one or build something. A place to isolate a chicken can come in handy for different things anyway.
Once you get them all mature and work out any issues with having two boys together you will probably be OK on total space. Probably. It's getting there that might be the challenge and two boys may be too many. Many of us on here have more chickens than those square feet say you have to have. I do in the summer when I sometimes have over 50 chickens of various ages growing to butcher size. The run is still plenty big but coop space can get tight.
Good luck!
To me one of the dangers of those guidelines is that they do not take into account any circumstances. Tiny Seramas don't really need quite as much room as the huge Jersey Giants. If you have one rooster those numbers can work out pretty well as long as the rooster and hens are really adults. If they are juveniles, especially with an immature cockerel, you may need more room. If you have multiple males you may need a lot more room. If you have a broody hen you probably need more room, especially after she weans the chicks and leaves them on their own with the flock. How you manage them counts. If both run and coop space are available at the same time you don't need quite as much as if they are stuck in only one.
To me, integration is where the danger from these square feet numbers really shows up. It has nothing to do with square feet, it is about can the weak get away from the strong and stay away. You have 8 chickens and say you are 10 square feet short. That means 70 square feet. Say you had 80 square feet which is about an 8' x 10'. You have four potential aggressors, the older birds. How can you get 4 older pullets in an 8x10 area and the other four be able to separate a safe distance? Can't do it in the run, maybe if the young stay in the coop when the older are all outside. That is often what happens. From what I've see the hen usually leaves the young alone when she goes in to lay an egg.
You are under the magic number in the run and integrating two groups with different maturity levels. Yet no one is getting injured, at least yet. I don't consider you to be in crisis mode though that can change. Clutter and having separate feed and water stations can help improve the quality of what room you have. You may be able to get by with what room you have.
But that can change. The younger are still growing and maturing. As the younger two girls mature they will eventually join the mature pecking order. With my flock that is usually really peaceful but I have a large coop (8' x 12'), two shelters (each 4'x 8'), and over 3,000 square feet of room outside which is available practically every day of the year. Even with your small space I don't expect that to be a big problem.
The two boys are different. It is possible you won't have any problems with them but that would be a surprise. When their hormones take over in puberty it can get really wild as they try to take over flock dominance. They will determine which is boss. That may mean some pretty vicious fights between them. Sometimes those are fights to the death but often if the loser has enough room to run away and get away they work it out. The boys will develop an interest in the girls. Their hormones are telling them to establish dominance over the others, they do that by mating. You have pullets their age that will not want to mate so they try to run away. Yours can't run very far. The older girls may try to run or fight. It can get really wild and messy when those boys come of age. As someone on here once said that is often not for the faint of heart.
I generally don't have a big problem with this, the more room you have the better. But more room does not guarantee that you won't have problems any more than less room guarantees that you will. Individual personalities of the boys and girls play a big part of this.
My suggestion is that of you decide to add more room add enough that they can get some physical separation. That means linear feet, not square feet. Whether you add run space or not, clutter can help. In any case have a place prepared you can separate one or both boys from the flock on a moment's notice, if the need arises it usually shows up quickly. A wire dog cage can usually work for that if you have one or build something. A place to isolate a chicken can come in handy for different things anyway.
Once you get them all mature and work out any issues with having two boys together you will probably be OK on total space. Probably. It's getting there that might be the challenge and two boys may be too many. Many of us on here have more chickens than those square feet say you have to have. I do in the summer when I sometimes have over 50 chickens of various ages growing to butcher size. The run is still plenty big but coop space can get tight.
Good luck!
