Medium OverEZ coop. How many chickens, really?

[Great_Strides]

I bought an OverEZ medium sized chicken coop for a bargain from a closed feed store. I have 5 Pullets that I’m integrating together. I’m not naïve enough to think it can really hold 10. But, will it be big enough for 5?

 

[InterestingChickens]

Found these measurements online about this coop: 50.25″ x 52.5″ wide and 62.25″. That will accommodate for four or five max. The rule of thumb is 4 square feet in the coop and 10 square feet in the run. Of course the more space they have, the happier they will be.

 

[Great_Strides]

18 SF. So, 4 chickens max?

Can you successfully have two coops attached to the same run?

 

[InterestingChickens]

18 SF. So, 4 chickens max?

Can you successfully have two coops attached to the same run?

If you had a larger run than 10 square feet per chicken, I'd say you would be fine with 5 in that coop.

 

[InterestingChickens]

This is a great article about 'How much room do chickens need?'. If you were to have multiple coops in the same area, @3KillerBs has experience in that.

 

[Great_Strides]

If you had a larger run than 10 square feet per chicken, I'd say you would be fine with 5 in that coop.

Oh good!! We are moving and getting everything set up at our new place. And I was painting the inside of the new coop and it seemed awfully small. However, our young chickens all huddled together in the corner of their current coop anyway. Silly chickens

The new run will be 12x15. Hopefully they’ll have enough room. We haven’t decided if we’ll free range or not, yet.

 

[Boise-girls]

Found these measurements online about this coop: 50.25″ x 52.5″ wide and 62.25″. That will accommodate for four or five max. The rule of thumb is 4 square feet in the coop and 10 square feet in the run. Of course the more space they have, the happier they will be.

Those measurements may include the nest boxes - the coop looks more rectangular than that if you exclude them. So, even less space if that's the case.

 

[Great_Strides]

Those measurements may include the nest boxes - the coop looks more rectangular than that if you exclude them. So, even less space if that's the case.

I hadn’t even considered that! I’ll either have to do two coops or downsize my numbers. Dang it!
I’m glad you caught that!

 

[InterestingChickens]

I hadn’t even considered that! I’ll either have to do two coops or downsize my numbers. Dang it!
I’m glad you caught that!

It would need more ventilation holes too. At least one square foot of ventilation per bird.

 

[3KillerBs]

18 SF. So, 4 chickens max?

Can you successfully have two coops attached to the same run?

This is a great article about 'How much room do chickens need?'. If you were to have multiple coops in the same area, @3KillerBs has experience in that.

I'm at work and not on my desktop so I don't have access to my photos, but before we finished Neuchickenstein I had 3 coops in one vastly-oversized run.

It would need more ventilation holes too. At least one square foot of ventilation per bird.

Yes! Those coops are better-built than a lot of prefabs, but they are notoriously short on ventilation.

1 square foot of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation -- best located above the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost -- is the recommended minimum.

Climate matters -- I'm in the Steamy Southeast of the US and need as much as double that OR deep shade just to keep my coop from turning into a rotisserie.

Since you're in a cold-winter area you need to read @Alaskan's article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/