Sq. feet per chicken

[ChickenPeep]

Simple question: How many square feet per chicken do you need in a coop?

 

[NonnasBabies]

4 square feet indoor and 10 square feet of run for each bird

 

[hallerlake]

It partly depends on the weather where you live, and how much time your chickens spend in the coop. Given your cold winters, your chickens probably spend a lot of time in the coop in the winter months. You need that 4 sq ft per bird. In a mild climate like mine, my birds go in the coop to sleep and lay. I can get away with less.

 

[teach1rusl]

Sorry - but there is no simple answer. You'll get different answers from different people.

Most here on BYC suggest minimums of 4 sq. ft. of indoor space and 10 sq. ft. of outdoor space per bird. But folks in year round warm areas do fine with smaller indoor spaces than that recommendation, while folks up north who get deep snows want MORE than the recommendation. Then there's bird size - One person may have 10 lb. JGs or Brahmas, while another has tiny 1.5 lb sebrights, and breed activity level (some breeds are very calm, handle limited space better than active breeds). Some are contained within a run all day, while others spend a few hours per day outside the run - so the run is a bit flexible too.

So there's more to it than just a simple answer.

 

[kittycooks]

^
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Good answer. The breed and temperaments of the birds seem to be key. If you have breeds that "tolerate confinement", 8-10 square feet of space per bird is optimal, although a flock of docile birds could tolerate less. Perches add to the formula and access to sheltering cubbies or rooms seem to calm the birds too. The bottom line is probably the more room they have, the happier they are and the less "pecking order" behavior you will see.

 

[BoltonChicken]

4 square feet indoor and 10 square feet of run for each bird

And there, basically, is the answer to your question.​

 

[fireguy56]

Hi, Go as big as you can afford and handle, both for coop(house) and run. Believe me the Chicken math gets crazy. You'll have more before you know it. I just finished our big coop and am already buying lumber and planning a second 6' x 10' coop for Bantams. Wife wants Bantams, gotta build another coop and run. That simple. Anyway, good luck.
Erik