Official BYC Poll: How Many Square Feet Per Chicken?

[Pye Wacket]

I marked 2 and 3, but really its 2.5 to 3 sft per bird inside the coop. I go with 10 sft per bird for the run/yard. But my last coop, I sized for 24 birds but only ever had 12 in it. I was getting sooo many eggs I was giving them away even with just the 12. I was keeping Buff Orpingtons (and would like to again). I really think the size of the bird matters. Buff Orpingtons are big for layers but sort of small for meat birds so, sort of medium sized, I guess. We had White Leghorns when I was a kid, man they were mean. Never again! LOL!

I used a chicken moat when I had acreage but I doubt I can manage that in town. I'm not sure I can even HAVE a coop in town, given how restrictive the town rules are - the YARD, not just the coop, has to be 50' away from all houses, it has to be 600 sft minimum, and the yards here run about 50' wide. I looked at one wider than that, but it was only 50' deep, LOL!

I haven't looked at a property in that town yet that you could put up a coop and meet their spacing requirements.

Another town I looked at just mentioned the coop, not the yard, having to be spaced 50', which is way more doable, but then they had the exact same rules for HAMSTERS and GERBILS - including NOT BEING ALLOWED TO KEEP THEM INSIDE THE HOUSE. I keep wondering if they really meant to make hamsters and gerbils essentially illegal.

 

[oldhen2345]

Inside the coop, there is 6 sq ft per chicken. The run is about 10 sq ft per chicken. The fenced chicken yard is about 50x50 ft.
The "baby barn" is a 25 sq ft enclosure with a dog kennel inside for a coop. It has cinderblocks for coverage and hiding purposes and a roost as well as food and water. The chicks that are at least 5 wks old go out to that from the brooder. When the chicks are about 7wks of age, I prop the door open so they can free range the yard. They can get in and out but the big girls can not. They stay there until they are ready to put themselves in the big coop- usually at about 10 wks of age.

 

[nuthatched]

Letsseee, I have 16 chickens in a run that's 18x60, (ish) I think, so thats... 1080÷16=65 Sq feet per bird...that can't be right...I don't have enough birds....
I need to measure for sure.

 

[BDutch]

Letsseee, I have 16 chickens in a run that's 18x60, (ish) I think, so thats... 1080÷16=65 Sq feet per bird...that can't be right...I don't have enough birds....
I need to measure for sure.

Chickens love it when they have that much space. Less stress, less diseases, cleaner soil. And even grasses might have a chance to grow in your run? I wouldn’t add any more if you don’t need any more for production.
To the rule of ranging organic chickens in my country, you can have max 8 more (if normal sized chickens). 65 sqft = 6m2

PS My 7 tiny bantams only have 2.15m2 each now. It’s not allowed to let them free range because of a bird flew h5n8.

 

[nuthatched]

Chickens love it when they have that much space. Less stress, less diseases, cleaner soil. And even grasses might have a chance to grow in your run? I wouldn’t add any more if you don’t need any more for production.
To the rule of ranging organic chickens in my country, you can have max 8 more (if normal sized chickens). 65 sqft = 6m2

PS My 7 tiny bantams only have 2.15m2 each now. It’s not allowed to let them free range because of a bird flew h5n8.

I was joking about getting more birds.
I don't need any more feathered Devils, although if I lost a few I wouldn't mind trying to hatch some sussex, Barnevelders or bantams.

 

[ackie]

My secondary coop + attached run: tons of room per chicken to the point where I may add more hens. I was having a hard time determining how many chickens is ideal for it - I've seen numbers for space per chicken if they're just in a coop and space per chicken if they're free range + coop, but what about coop + attached run? I dont recall the dimensions but I could get them.

My main coop + free range: enough room for them to all sleep comfortably and stay in there for a day if I have to, but not enough space to live in there, but copious amounts of space to free range. I am considering cutting it down to a small enough number to live in there once my pullets are laying to teach them to lay in the pen, but regardless of the number of chickens per space, I feel guilty taking away their freedom.

 

[3KillerBs]

coop + attached run?

Usually that's given as 4 square feet per bird in the coop plus 10 square feet per bird in the run.

 

[Ann With A Plan]

52.08 sq ft. per chicken for me in the yard. And 6.6sq ft per chicken in the 5x8' coop.

 

[black_cat]

I currently have 6 square feet per bird in the coop and 15 square feet per bird in the run. If I end up getting my 3 chicks that I'd like the space will be cut to 3.5 square feet per bird in the coop and 8.5 in the run. I know that this isn't ideal, and will try to increase run space.

 

[TOPChickens14]

The chooks have about 2 sq feet of coop space which is a little on the low side but they have access to a HUGE run.