So..... what's the most amount of chickens that could fit in.... :P

[CatsCrazyCoop]

Uhoh!

Does the 8sq ft per bird for coop apply to Bantams? Aren't Bantams like 1-2lbs a piece?

I will have 1 Jersey Giant (Not sure if that is standard?), and then 4 standards, and 8 bantams... I am building an 8x8 coop with a 10 x 12 run... is that too small? OH NO!

 

[smokeykk]

I think it would be fine, since you have the most bantams, Like I said, my coop is 24sq feet and yours is 64 sq feet, that is good for... AT LEAST 21 chickens if it is 3 sq feet per bird. It doesn't have to be 8 sq feet for the run, in fact, the website says 4-5 sq ft per bird outside. And no to your other question, bantams are probably more like 4 lbs, not 1

That is plenty big. And if I were to do the math for.... your run... 10X12 is 120
120/4 is 30.
You could fit at least 30 birds in your run.
(now you have an excuse to get more!!!!

)

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'll include a write-up I did on space requirements for chickens from my viewpoint. A lot of different things work for different people because we have different set-ups, different goals, different climates, and different management practices. Most of us on this forum do not automatically trim the upper beak on our chickens to keep them from eating each other, which can happen in tight spaces. Most if us don't have automatic poop handling equipment or powered ventilation systems which are standard in commercial chickens houses. Most of us don't have 5,000 laying hens in one building. I'd like to think most of us are a little different that the commercial operations.

Remember that the suggestions one here are guidelines, not absolute laws of nature. Most of us violate some of the guidelines and do OK. The guidelines do not guarantee you will be successful if you follow them, nor do they guarantee failure if you violate one. If you follow the guidelines you improve your odds of success. If you violate the guidelines, you increase your odds of having a problems. But either way, there are no guarantees.

I find that if I provide extra space, I have to work less. For example, if you squeeze all the chicknes possible in a small space, you have to actively manage the poop more.

Anyway, here is the write-up.

As long as you have enough height for the roosts to be noticeably higher than the nest boxes, height does not matter to chickens. They are basically ground dwelling birds, so the ground area is all that really matters space wise. I said it does not matter to the chickens. It does matter to me if I have to work in there. It matters quite a bit.

If the nest boxes are high enough off the ground that the chickens can easily get under them, then nest boxes do not take away from the space available. The tops of the nesting boxes does not add to the living space either although they may occasionally be up there. Ground level is what counts.

Some of the things that make up the space requirement are, in my opinion:

1. Personal space for the birds. They have different personalities and different individual requirements. Some are very possessive of personal space and some can share.

2. Access to feeder and waterer. The general recommendation is that they all be able to eat at one time, but access to the waterer is also important. Part of this is that they seem to like to all eat at once but not necessarily drink at the same time. Part of it is that a dominant bird may keep others from eating or drinking, especially with limited access.

3. Being able to put the feeder and waterer where they will not poop in it when they roost.

4. Roost space. They not only need to have enough room to roost, they need to have enough room for them to sort out who gets to sleep next to whom and who gets the prime spots. They also need enough room to get on the roosts and get off them. When they get on, they may jump from some midway support or fly directly to the roost, but either way, they like to spread their wings. And some chickens seem to enjoy blocking the entry points if there are limits. And when they get off, mine tend to want to fly down, not jump to a halfway point. They need room to fly down without bumping into feeders, waterers, nesting boxes, or a wall.

5. Poop load. The larger area they have the less often you have to actively manage the poop. They poop a lot while on the roost so you may have to give that area special consideration, but mucking out the entire coop can be backbreaking work plus you have to have some place to put all that bedding and poop. In my opinion, totally cleaning out the coop is something that needs to happen as seldom as possible.

6. How often are they able to get out of the coop. The more they are confined to the coop, the larger the personal space needs to be. The normal recommendation on this forum is 4 square feet per full sized chicken with a minimum of 10 square feet of run per bird. This additional requirement outside is sometimes not mentioned. How often they are allowed out of the coop may depend on a lot more than just weather. Your work schedule, when you are able to turn them loose, what time of day you open the pop door to let them out or lock them up at night, all this and more enters into the equation. The 4 square feet recommendation assumes they will spend extended time in the coop and not be able to get in the run. What that extended time can safely be depends on a lot of different factor so there is no one correct length of time for everyone.

7. Do you feed and water in the coop or outside. The more they are outside, the less pressure on the size of the coop.

8. The size of the chicken. Bantams require less room than full sized chickens. This has to be tempered by breed and the individual personalities. Some bantams can be more protective of personal space than others, but this is also true of full sized breeds.

9. The breed of the chicken. Some handle confinement better than others.

10. The number of chickens. The greater the number of chickens, the more personal space they can have if the square foot per chicken stays constant. Let me explain. Assume each chicken occupies 1 square foot of space. If you have two chickens and 4 square feet per chicken, the two chickens occupy 2 square feet, which leaves 6 square feet for them to explore. If you have ten chickens with 4 square feet per chicken, each chicken has 30 unoccupied square feet to explore. A greater number also can give more space to position the feeders and waterers properly in relation to the roosts and provide access. I’m not encouraging you to crowd your birds if you have a large number of them. I’m trying to say you are more likely to get in trouble with 4 square feet per chicken if you have very few chickens.

11. What is your flock make-up. A flock with more than one rooster may be more peaceful if it has more space. I don't want to start the argument about number or roosters here as I know more than one rooster can often peacefully coexist with a flock, but I firmly believe more space helps.

12. What is the maximum number of chickens you will have. Consider hatching chicks or bringing in replacements. Look down the road a bit.

13. Do you want a broody to raise chicks with the flock? A broody needs sufficient room to work with or you risk problems from other chickens.

I'm sure I am missing several components, but the point I'm trying to make is that we all have different conditions. There is no magic number that suits us all. The 4 square feet in a coop with 10 square feet in the run is a good rule of thumb for a minimum that most of the time will keep us out of trouble, but not always. I do believe that more is better both in the coop and in the run.

 

[CatsCrazyCoop]

Remember that the suggestions one here are guidelines, not absolute laws of nature. Most of us violate some of the guidelines and do OK. The guidelines do not guarantee you will be successful if you follow them, nor do they guarantee failure if you violate one. If you follow the guidelines you improve your odds of success. If you violate the guidelines, you increase your odds of having a problems. But either way, there are no guarantees.

I think that is probably the most wonderful advice I will ever get.
Thank you so much!!! For ALL of your wonderful advice.​

 

[CatsCrazyCoop]

Quote:
I love your thinkin'

I am allowed 20 chickens in my town, so I am trying to plan for perhaps hitting my max

 

[ChicKat]

smokeyKK

Good insights have been generated since you posted this question---so thanks for getting everyone thinking.

Ridgerunner---

That is the most insightful chicken spacing explanation that I have yet heard. It is like the whole process, the coop, the type of chickens and their respective management are very individual things. I think if people have healthy chickens and the chickens are not stressed/distressed and the backyard chicken owners are happy---then their set up and management practices are suitable. Guidelines are great...and should be used as guidelines---but there are a lot of variables as Ridgerunner so artfully identifies.

Interesting insights.

Makes me glad that I am on the small side both coop, run and flock. It does make daily cleaning very easy. It isn't a back breaker. Is there some saying that the happy chicken lays eggs? Is their behavior and appearance and productivity an indication that things are going well for the flock and flock owner?

Thanks for shining a lot of light on this subject.