Space and chickens..and ventilation?

[Ms. Cluckingly]

**Updated new questions on post # 12**

First off, I am NOT good at math.

We were supposed to buy a HUGEMUNGOID shipping crate from a guy in Denver, but he stiffed us, so my DH decided to take on the project himself. It's coming along great, but I'm wondering how many chickens I can comfortably have. My run is 4 ft high, 4 ft wide and 8 ft long. My coop will be 6 ft tall at the tallest point, 4 ft at the side slant, 4 ft wide, 6 ft long. Any ideas on how many standard sized chicken I can have? I currently have 8.

(But one for sure is a roo, and it will have to go to a new home... cant have roos in the city.) AND, for ventilation, I am considering just drilling 1in in diameter holes around the top of the coop. Also, the windows. My husband is leaving soon and so I'll be doing the windows. Can I just cut window holes and them put hardware cloth over them? And then in the winter, put plexi glass over them? I'm really confused and I don't understand carpentry talk.

Any ideas?

ETA: I read the ventilation page, and frankly, it scares me.

My husband JUST built this thing, and removing a whole side panel and replacing it with hardware cloth is out of the question for him. So, I have 4 sides of the coop. Can I install 2 windows on the side (the 6 ft long side where I enter through) and a window on each other side? I've read about using small windows from mobile homes. Would these be ok?

 

[patandchickens]

Sorry, the ventilation page is not meant to 'scare', just to help people avoid problems..

Can I just cut window holes and them put hardware cloth over them? And then in the winter, put plexi glass over them?

Sure, absolutely (or even just staple 6 mil translucent plastic over them, if your winters are not *too* cold and your site not too windy). However even in wintertime you will need some openings higher up to serve as wintertime ventilation. I would suggest either leaving the spaces between rafters open atop the walls (hardwarecloth-screen them), or cutting a few openings at the very top of the wall that are just vents rather than meant as large windows, you know?

My husband JUST built this thing, and removing a whole side panel and replacing it with hardware cloth is out of the question for him. So, I have 4 sides of the coop. Can I install 2 windows on the side (the 6 ft long side where I enter through) and a window on each other side?

Unless you get super super hot in the summer, I don't think you really NEED to have an all-mesh side. what you propose sounds entirely adequate, assuming these are good-sized openings.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[Ms. Cluckingly]

Pat, thank you. I didn't mean that is scared me in a bad way.

There is just so much to think about and do if I want my birds to be happy and healthy. So I just meant that I have a lot to do.

Your ventilation page is REMARKABLE though. It is very thorough, so thank you. It does give me MUCH food for thought.

 

[racuda]

Ms. Cluckingly, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you are over the recommended number of standard size chickens for your space. Your coop is 24 square feet, so, according to the minimum guidelines you can only have 6, and a 32 sf run should only accommodate 4 chickens.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Well, "recommended by" whom, and whose "guidelines", is the thing. There is no one magic number. Everyone has their own opinions.

Really, plenty of people (in nice-ish climates) successfully house chickens at the proposed 3 sq ft per chicken or even less. I don't, and having seen how they act with more space available I don't think I ever will again, but, again assuming a non-awful climate, I do not see that the proposed stocking density has an especially high likelihood of causing cannibalism.

Looking at the run dimensions again, I strongly DO think it would be smart to double or triple its size, though, as THAT may be asking for trouble.

JMHO,

Pat

 

[elmo]

A frequently quoted rule of thumb for chicken runs is 10 square feet per bird. Since chickens will spend most of their time outdoors (except in very bad weather in some climates), I think it's really important to build as much run space as you reasonably can.

I live someplace where the weather is pretty good year round, so my chickens never have to be closed inside their coop. They use it only for roosting at night. So for me it was more important to consider roost space than floor space.

 

[racuda]

Yes, as patandchickens pointed out there are many different opinions. Our own Nifty-Chicken suggests a minimum of 2 sf for the coop and 4-5 for the run. Given your dimensions, that would translate to 12 chickens in the coop and 8 in the run.

 

[teach1rusl]

Quote:
The thing is, when these recommendations are made, everyone and everything is lumped together....from 2 lb. bantams to 10 pound JGs. When I picture a 2 sq. ft. area, I'd hate to think of large breed chickens confined to it. Heck, commercial "chicken factories" probably keep chickens in 1 sq. ft of space if they're lucky.
The same thing with regions...2 sq. feet of housing (not run space) in an area that gets year round warm weather is MUCH easier on an animal than that same sq. footage in an area where the animal could be confined at times for days or weeks due to deep snow, severe cold, or hurricane season.

Personally, in an area like Colorado, I agree with racuda, I wouldn't keep more than 6 LF chickens in the size mentioned, because I think that area does get decent snows; but maybe I'm mistaken on that. And unless they will have free range time daily, I would up the run space to 10 sq. ft. per bird. Of course with plenty of roost space inside, maybe they'll do okay. I would keep a close eye on them though, because often times overcrowding does result in picking and bullying. Their winter behavior will be the real test.

 

[racuda]

I suspect the "minimums" are what you can get away with in a production situation, where your concern is producing the highest yield of meat or eggs per foot. As a hobbyist, I don't care about efficiency, and I like the way my birds (bantams) look uncrowded with 8 square feet each of run space.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
But that is only when the coop is for sleeping only. Coop plus run room is about right for 8 large birds. You can squeeze more in, but really, the more rooom they have the easier it is to keep them happy and to keep them clean.