So, each chicken needs 2 Sqft of space....

[Becky_H]

That means that 3 birds need 6 square feet. That means that a 2X3 foot enclosure is big enough for them.

REALLY?

Not that I'm keeping three birds in a 2X3 foot coop, but. Am I doing something wrong here? Math never was my strong suit.

 

[xtremevermonter]

Standard size birds need 4 sq ft each.

 

[lunkerchicken]

General rule of thumb is 4 square feet inside the coop and 10 square feet in the run but the more the merrier!

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
It just depends on whose numbers you're looking at.

Some books oriented towards "keep chickens at home in basically factory-farm conditions" will suggest that 2 sq ft total space per chicken is ok. It *is* ok, in the sense that with sufficient ventilation the chicken will not die and you will be able to get eggs out of it. Nuff said.

Some other people/books suggest that 2 sq ft per chicken INDOORS is ok, but with a decent sized run to spend most of their time in. If you live in a climate where, more or less 365 days a year, chickens would prefer to spend all their daylight hours outside, then this is probably fine (it offers enough space for roosting at night).

There is no one magic number, particularly once you get beyond that. It's a continuum, and the point where you run into crowding problems will depend on the specifics of your situation (and your run of luck with your particular individual birds).

Personally, having seen how my chickens have acted at 4-6 sq ft per chicken indoors (plus run) and at 10-15+ sq ft per chicken indoors (plus run), I do not see me ever providing less than 10-15 sq ft per chicken indoors. There really is a difference, and I think I owe it to them to provide a GOOD, not merely tolerable, environment. But everyone's situation and philosophy is their own.

You just have to use your own good judgement. Preferably erring ont he side of more rather than less space (since cannibalism can be very hard or impossible to stop once it starts, even if you later decrease your flock size or increase the space)

JMO,

Pat

 

[Davaroo]

As Pat suggests, the "4 sq ft. Rule of Thumb" we love to tout so much is a direct offshoot of the fledgeling commercial business. It is, in reality, a fairly demanding compromise for the home chickeneer who keeps standard size breeds.
It arose sometime after WWII, near as my research indicates. I have yet to determine who was the first to suggest it in the small flock.

But what is often overlooked with such numbers is that they are best reserved for interior coop space, where nesting and roosting are the only activities that SHOULD take place.
Outside, where chickens belong, only a glutton for punishment will subject adult chickens to such space allowances.

But things get sticky in the harsh northern winter. What one does then is open to discussion. Give them too little space and then cram them into it during winters frigid embrace... and what happens? Again, a good point for discussion.
How many unseen ills result from such intensive practice - and how many don't even realize it because they followed "The Rule Of Thumb?"

In the old days, if you lived in Maine, you were admonished to cull your flock down to the best birds, when going into winter.
Many people don't like to be so "mean" or even deliberate as to cull for such a purpose. Which, of course, takes us back to the point of conjecture....

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If you want a mentor on this matter, you can do none better than Pat. Stick to her like glue. If you crave numbers to go by, use hers.

That's all I'll add for now - -

 

[conny63malies]

Deoends on which bird you are looking at . You could easily fit 4 seramas in a 2x3 coop but a jersey giant needs 6sqf by itself.

 

[CityChook]

I have tough winters, so gave my birds 12 sq. ft. per. They were inside for most of the winter (which in MN is 6 months), so the extra space was a requirement for me. No problems with cannibalism, which can happen when quarters are tight.

Just for reference, I brooded my 4 birds in a large dog crate which was approx. 3x2. There is NO WAY I could imagine them living in those tight quarters. They were practically on top of each other even tho they were still very young.