Official BYC Poll: How Many Square Feet Per Chicken?

[tvett62]

Opinions on various aspects of chicken-keeping vary greatly, and how much space to provide is no exception. How many square feet of space do you have per chicken in your coop(s)? Select an answer corresponding with your current situation, not with what you consider to be an ideal.

Feel free to reply below with more detail, such as:

1. Inside space per chicken
2. Run space per chicken
3. Free-range space per chicken

(Check out more Official BYC Polls HERE!)

I have about 2 1/2 per chicken in coop and 10 in the run.

 

[9SpiceyChickens]

Currently I have 1 hen who has the whole top coop, run, and backyard to herself. I also have a 6.5/7 week old chick who has the whole brooder to herself. I’m planning on getting the little one another new friend (her old one got pecked to death by the hen) and the will be moving to their own temporary coop until we can safely move them in. They will have about 6sqft of coop space total and 10sqft in the run each in the temporary run. I can update with exact measurements.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Some people may have meat birds, and in some cases people don't want their chickens to move around much so they keep weight on them? Not that I support it lol I'm just trying to think if there'd be a valid reason for it

I'm glad you agree....but: Chickens are supposed to move around!!! I mean, who would treat their chickens like that?

 

[FeatherLace]

I'm glad you agree....but: Chickens are supposed to move around!!! I mean, who would treat their chickens like that?

The ones who solely look at their livestock as food and not living creatures I'd assume.
Even if I did use my animals for meat though, I'd want them to live their happiest life before they go.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

The ones who solely look at their livestock as food and not living creatures I'd assume.
Even if I did use my animals for meat though, I'd want them to live their happiest life before they go.

Exactly! You and I think alike!

 

[Willow2253]

Inside per chicken: about 5 sq ft
Outside run: about 8 sq ft each
Free range: about 3500 sq ft each(where they spend most of their time)

 

[Rose Quartz]

Who voted 1 square foot per bird? Poor chickens....

I did, more than half are littles though and they free range all day every day. That's coop space only in my vote. 8x8 and there are 60 birds out there. 64 sqft/ 60 chickens is 1ish sqft. Each.

I have
6 - bantam adults
6 - adult standard size
16 - 12 week standard size (10 will be gone by this evening)
1 - 12 week bantam
26 - 1 month olds
5 - 2 week olds

Spoiler: Pics at night

I think the least comfortable is the broody. And that's mostly because the other broody who was in a different pen left her babies and this one took over at night. There isn't any fighting. They spread out in their own areas of the 3.5 acres during the day. And take turns going in at night. The teenagers are usually the last in. They give the adults first choice to the roost.

I don't intend to keep these numbers through winter. I had them in a 21x16 building, but racoons got in and killed 5 so they're in a smaller buliding until I can build something bigger and safer than the other one.

 

[LDev]

Opinions on various aspects of chicken-keeping vary greatly, and how much space to provide is no exception. How many square feet of space do you have per chicken in your coop(s)? Select an answer corresponding with your current situation, not with what you consider to be an ideal.

Feel free to reply below with more detail, such as:

1. Inside space per chicken
2. Run space per chicken
3. Free-range space per chicken

(Check out more Official BYC Polls HERE!)

I have a 6ft by 4ft Potting shed converted into a coop with direct access to an attached, roofed, predator proof run with different scratch zones, dust bath, multiple perching areas etc and it’s 16ft by 5f by 6.5ft high. At the moment I’m down to 2 in there but have another in a sheltered broody pen (5ft by 2.5ft) sat on a clutch of 8 eggs. I think I’d happily have 6 hens in my main coop but no more. They have access to my garden when I’m out there but we’re urban so it’s not a huge area

 

[Manhen]

I'm glad you agree....but: Chickens are supposed to move around!!! I mean, who would treat their chickens like that?

The cross bred meat birds don't want to move, preferring to sit, rising to eat or so on.

 

[chkncrazy]

I'm Rusty on my math but in my run each chicken has at least a 4ft cube they could.fit in....but they decide to stick closer together