need some advice on coops

[chickachickawhat]

well im a beginner. i alreday have to coops. no chickens yet. i have a really nice neighbor who gave me his old coop its 3'by5' and its 3' high. i was wondering how many chickens can be held in there. also i have my main coop that is 8' by 12' and i was wondering how many chickens you can put in there. there will be a run off thats about 10' by 25'. i was wondering if i can put my 3'by5' coop in the fenced in run. is that a good idea or not?
also i just built a chicken tractor with supplies from the old owner of my house left. the chicken tractor is 10' by 2' and its 3 feet high. i was wondering how many chickens i can put in there at once.
i plan on adding photos later. so can you please either pm or leave me some advice thanks

 

[Chirpy]

Welcome to BYC!

The general rule of thumb for chickens is to have 4 sq. feet of inside space for regular size birds. (Meaning that Bantams could go with 3 sq. ft per bird.)

Outside runs should allow 10 sq. feet per chicken. Having a secure, fenced run is great to keep them safe from predators. But, if you have a safe place or can keep an eye on them letting them freerange, at least part of the time, is the best for them. If you can't - that's Ok.

Oh - that sq. feet of space is in addition to the nest boxes, feeders and waterers that all take up space.

So - your 3x5 house would comfortably hold three chickens or four Bantams. Your 8x12 would hold 24 chickens. Now - it's so important to remember that having less chickens in an area is far, far better for their health and well-being. It is cruel to stick too many in an area, that's when you will have pecking and bickering issues that can lead to sick and hurt chickens. So, going with less is better.

Your tractor could hold five chickens.

Also- it's always good to start off with less so you can add some more next year!

It's also wise to lock up your chickens every night in a secure, predator proof hen house.

Hope this helps... have fun!

 

[chickachickawhat]

thanks you im not that new i know a lot of the basic info this is the main site i use its so helpful. i just wanted to know how many chicken i will be able to hold im start with four rhode islands reds. i would like to get buff orps in the future. do you think its a good idea to put my 3' by 5 coop in the run. and do you thinks its a good idea for me to put some chickens in the big coop and some in the small coop. like if i get different chickens at different time should i keep the old chickens in the big coop and the new ones in the small coop? or should they all be together?

 

[Chirpy]

I would put the 3x5 coop in the run, if it were me. But, we have tons of predators out here so I do everything I can to protect my girls!

Again, my personal opinion, I would start with the right number of chickens for one of the coops and then in the future when you add more you can put them in the second coop. OR, start with the larger coop and if you have chicks (from a broody or whereever) you can use the smaller coop for them.