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[Axe610]

I'm getting ready for spring or should I say I'm trying to lol. I'm looking to get at least 10 chicks this spring and wanted to know how much room do I need for them for housing . I might build box or buy some thing not sure yet. Any info would be great thank you my friends

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Are you asking about space needed to brood the chicks until they are moved out into the coop or how much space, permanently, you would need to house the birds as adults? If the former, are there other birds out in the coop that the young birds would need to be integrated with, is the coop wired with electric, etc. -- these factors will play into how long your chicks might need to be (if at all) in a separate brooder setup vs. in the coop. If the latter, are you certain that you will not exceed 10 birds at any given time, are you planning to free range for a good part of the day or will the birds be confined in the coop/run at all times, what breed(s) are you considering, etc?
There are no magic numbers for either situation - but there are some guidelines that can be used to keep you out of trouble for the most part. My best advice would be don't look at it as a minimum amount of space type thing - "how many birds can I put in x amount of space" - but rather look at it as "how much space can I afford to give over to my flock" and remember that the more space per bird the better.

 

[Bridebeliever]

I bought a rabbit cage from the feed store, spent $125 on it. Some people just use cardboard...free. Depends how much you want to spend. Just know that by the time they are 2 weeks old they can hop/fly up pretty high. Do you already have a coop? Are you brooding them inside our out? With a heat lamp? Most importantly it needs to be big enough for them to be able to get away or close to the heat. You can kill them if they can't escape the heat.

 

[QueenMisha]

The typical rule is 4 square feet per bird coop (indoor) space and 10 square feet per bird run (outdoor) space. I personally advise strict adherence to the run space rule (no less than 8 square feet per bird if you absolutely must) but prefer to use roost length rules when it comes to coop space; 10-12 inches roost length per bird. The larger the coop the more flexible space rules are, for example I wouldn't try to fit four birds on a coop that should only house two, but I might house eight in one that is rated for six. And so on. Also keep in mind that the more birds in the coop the more often you will have to clean it.

As far as building or buying goes, I generally say if you want >10 birds buy it, if you want <10, build it.

 

[Axe610]

I will be building my coop in the next 2 or 3 weeks. Starting size will be 8'x12' i say starting size because I end up changing some thing and it gets bigger lol

 

[Axe610]

I'm looking for size to brood the chicks (10 chicks) they will be inside, free range and coop at night when older

 

[Bridebeliever]

For my 10 chicks mine was 47 inch length by 24 inch width by 24 inch height. The size worked for them until they were about 5 weeks old. Then I felt it would be too small to continue with and they moved to the coop.

 

[QueenMisha]

I'm looking for size to brood the chicks (10 chicks)   they will be inside,   free range and coop at night when older

Ah, I see. Chicks and juveniles don't need much space. I like to raise mine in big plastic storage bins with the middle of the lids cut out and replaced with 1/4 inch chicken wire or hardware cloth. 2 or 3 large (about 3 x 1.5 feet) bins or equivalent size brooder would be adequate for 10 chicks for 8 weeks.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Even when dealing with fuzz-butts a good amount of space is beneficial - many of the common issues encountered with raising chicks can be caused by or, at the very least, worsened, by being kept in an overcrowded situation. A minimum of 1/2 square foot per bird (excluding space occupied by feed/water stations, etc.) is recommended for the first few weeks and an increase to 1+ square foot per bird at the 4+ week range (this is for layers, meaties, of course, have different growth rates and spacial recommendations). And, as always, if you can give them more space than the minimum that's all the better. The larger brooder also better enables you to allow for warm and cool zones in the brooder if you are using a heat lamp as well as allowing for the placement of more than one food/water station.