Official BYC Poll - How Many Square Feet Per Chicken?

[ChickenAl]

5 ft. In the coop and 5 ft. In the run. A lot more when we let them out to range in the yard.

 

[Oxland]

We have 11 girls in a 12 'X 12' coop that's 10' at the peak. The outside run is 10' X 20' X 6' dog kennel panels with the top fully covered in chain link and wire fencing. There is also a 4' X 8' X 3' old rabbit hutch in the outside run that they play in and lay eggs. 2' of one end is enclosed for the old rabbit sleeping area. Would like to add another half dozen girls but afraid I might not have enough room and that the other hens won't accept the newbies.

 

[LaStrawberryMom]

Currently:

29 chickens (we lost one of our original 30 just a few weeks ago):

8x12 coop = 96 sq ft / 29 = 3.3 sq ft in coop (sleeping & laying)
25x25 (approx.) run = 625 sq ft / 29 = 21.6 sq ft in run (day time)

In a couple months we will introduce the 6 new chickens:
8x12 coop = 96 sq ft / 35 = 2.7 sq ft in coop
25x25 (approx.) run = 625 sq ft/ 35 = 17.9 sq ft in run

Our coop has 4 - 8ft roosts, however when I check on the girls at night, they are all on what only equates to 3 of the roosts, some are close to each other and others prefer to spread out, so I think we will have plenty of room for 6 more to roost as well.

The nest boxes (8 of them) extend on the outside of the coop, so sq footage is not taken up inside the coop. I also dont include the next boxes as part of the square footage. Once the new girls start laying, we will likely add a couple more boxes.

 

[Othylocke]

Ten foot by Eight foot coop for twenty four = 3.3 sq feet per

Free range space is roughly 8000 sq feet = 333.3 sq feet per bird.


Edited due to chicken math

 

[tweetysvoice]

For 4 chickens and 4 ducks:

Coop is 6x8 (48Sq ft, so 6sqft per bird)
Run is 22'x22' (484Sq ft minus the 48 for the coop = 436sqft for the run, so 54.5sqft per bird for the run)
Because of run space, my birds don't free range.

It sounds huge, but I still feel that they need more space. LOL

 

[AllTheseCreatures]

17.5 sq. ft. of space per bird in the coop and in the run (Coop and run are integrated structure). 363 sq. ft. per bird of free ranging area.

I think this is just right. Less than that and I would be spending too much of my time trying to manage manure impact.

 

[Tigertrea]

I am planning a 4X8 coop (so inside about 3.5X7.5) and, for this year, we will have a 9X6 dog run for their run. That will work out to around 7sq'per chicken. We are hoping to free range them also. We figure they will use about 1-2 acres of our property for that. Our garden that I want them to range in during the fall and winter is about 1 acre.

 

[98cummins]

I just got my first chickens 5 rsl pullets
they are in a chicken tractor 8x6+
so 10 square feet of space per bird
I move it around a couple of times a day so plenty of fresh pasture
can't wait for the first egg

 

[Farmettehopeful]

4 inside the coop, 16 outside the coop in the run.

 

[Lexiluke]

Overall stats are 8.5 sq feet per bird. 15 layers - 32 sq ft in coop and 96 in the run. I let them free range for a couple hours per day when I am home. I didn't figure my meaties into the poll but they are 1.5 sq ft per bird in tractor. I have an extended wire fence up for the meaties that they venture into during the day. This would add an additional 7 sq ft per bird.