Run Size for 10 birds?

[teach1rusl]

OP - 4 hens, once matured, will provide you an average of 3 eggs per day, some days you will get 4, but other days you may get only 2. When molting (which shouldn't happen their first year), there will be days of no eggs. Unless you supplement light in winter time (due to short days), egg production will decrease a bit too.
That being said, I still think starting off with less birds is a better plan. Get your feet wet and see how you like it.

 

[Nicole01]

The run should be a minimum of 100 square feet for 10 standard chickens. I have a run of 112 square feet and my coop is 48 square feet for my 8 chickens(7 standard 1 bantam). I let them out to free range daily just to get bugs and grass.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Not sure how you did the math but that's a lot of space for 4 hens.

8X6=48 SQFT, therefore 12 chickens easy in coop. 8X10=80 SQFT, hence your run is limiting to 8 chickens though 10 would be fine especially with an entire panel gone for coop space too.

Note: I read the typo and know you meant 6-7 eggs per week (not day). Yup, a new laying pullet is your best production and some breeds will go 9 days non stop then take a day off. Your Stars are like that. I like the black star too.

 

[SteveBaz]

In general the reading here on BYC is 10Sq Ft per chick for the run but the brooder and coop are a differant story. Are you talking coop or run?

Steve

 

[justmeinflorida]

Quote:
I was speaking of our run. The coop is a plastic Black and Decker 8X6 storage shed.

 

[BoltonChicken]

commercially I did 1 sq/ft per bird...they were pullets tho...but 4 ft per bird seems a tad large..

One sq/ft per bird is a standard for commercial egg layers that spend their short lives in a cage. If you are going to have yard chickens then 4 sq/ft per bird is recommended, but still a bit small for a coop. In a run use no less than 10 sq/ft per bird.​

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

Quote:
My chickens head for the roosts a good half hour BEFORE sundown. They like to be all settled in I guess.

I'd go as big as you have room for and can afford. I started out with almost twenty birds. I had so many eggs, I couldn't hardly give them away.
I sold more than half my flock.

 

[justmeinflorida]

Quote:
My chickens head for the roosts a good half hour BEFORE sundown. They like to be all settled in I guess.

I'd go as big as you have room for and can afford. I started out with almost twenty birds. I had so many eggs, I couldn't hardly give them away.
I sold more than half my flock.

That was my worry that I would have to many eggs and they would go to waste, so I'm sticking to just 4-6 hens. They will be much more comfortable and happy girls with what I can afford to build them, right now.