The Square Foot Question

[FrozenCanadian]

Hi folks,

I'm a little confused over the issue of square footage for hens.

My coop is raised off the ground and is 4X5 + three nesting boxes. True interior space is 22 square feet because the interior was high enough for me to improvise a 2nd storey. Total roosting length is 9 feet.

Then, the chicken run. Total of 49 square feet, including the space under the coop. All filled with sand. Total roosting length is 10 feet as well.

So that being said, everyone seems to talk about 4 sq.ft. inside and 10 sq.feet outside.

Presently, I have 6 hens and 7 young 12-weekers. 5 of the hens will be shortly sent to a friend's house, where I'll build her a coop.

So that will leave me with 8 in my coop/run.

At this moment, there is no fighting, plenty of food and water for all, no pecking at others, no squabbling for this perch or that nest box, etc...

Your input would be appreciated. I want the hens to be as healthy and happy as possible and wouldn't want to commit any serious mistakes.

By the way, I'm in Canada and some say that in my case, I could have 8 to 12 hens because they'll simply huddle together and keep warm between November and March.

Thanks!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Based on the size of your run, if you aren't going to free range and if you are going by the recommendations, you would want no more than 5 hens (approx. 50 square feet in the run).

 

[chickencoop789]

I would say that you could fit 8. 5 or 6 would be the ideal number of chickens for your coop but 8 would be your absolute max.

 

[janinepeters]

If they cannot free range for a meaningful amount of time during the day, I would not put more than 5 or 6 in that space, and I would make them a mellow bantam breed at that. Life in confinement gets pretty boring, and chickens often get into feather picking or just plain bullying when bored. Keep in mind that chickens still have the curiosity and natural instincts to forage and run around that their wild ancestors have, and relish a diversity of plant and insect life. A flock of 10 birds will easily use 1-2 acres of good habitat for foraging, if given the opportunity. So relative to that, the living situation you describe will be rather sterile, and you might want to think about ways to enrich their environment. There have been some good threads on that - I think there is one going on now.

 

[janinepeters]

Quote: I think it's better to keep a breed that's really winter hardy, rather than packing them in tightly to keep them warm enough. Crowding them in does help them keep warm, but it is also a risk factor for bullying and cannabalism.

 

[MamaBear46]

ok I don't have a coop yet and as half my flock got gone last night i am looking at getting something put up like quickly........but I dont want to cram everybody or have to rebuild in a couple of weeks.....as of tonight I have (of varying ages) app 25 left......and three turkeys...i intend on sepreating the pet bird from the farm birds but right now i just need something big enough to protect them at night about how big do i need ( nobody is laying eggs yet if this is important)
basically what is the rule of thumb concerning how much space per chicken for them to be healthy and comfortable

 

[SunnyAlberta]

Quote: What breeds do you have? I chose mine for their hardiness, Orpington, Plymouth Rock, and Wyandotte. My next two will be Cochins. They are also hardy.

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

Based on the size of your run, if you aren't going to free range and if you are going by the recommendations, you would want no more than 5 hens (approx. 50 square feet in the run).

x2

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

By the way, I'm in Canada and some say that in my case, I could have 8 to 12 hens because they'll simply huddle together and keep warm between November and March.

I think it's better to keep a breed that's really winter hardy, rather than packing them in tightly to keep them warm enough. Crowding them in does help them keep warm, but it is also a risk factor for bullying and cannabalism.

You can't just cram in more hens because they will huddle together to keep warm. The harsher your winters, the more coop space you need per hen. The chickens will spend more time in the coop to get out of harsh conditions and do not need to be cramped. The run will become useless with rain and snow. It would not be wise to take short cuts so to speak with this. Think about it like this, how would you like to have to huddle together with others? Personally, it would make me a bit crazy. The same goes with chickens. It is ALWAYS better to have more coop space than less. If they need to huddle in a big coop, they can. They shouldn't have to because of space issues. You will see behavioral issues if they do have to. Personally, I would put no more than 6 chickens in your coop.

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

ok I don't have a coop yet and as half my flock got gone last night i am looking at getting something put up like quickly........but I dont want to cram everybody or have to rebuild in a couple of weeks.....as of tonight I have (of varying ages) app 25 left......and three turkeys...i intend on sepreating the pet bird from the farm birds but right now i just need something big enough to protect them at night about how big do i need ( nobody is laying eggs yet if this is important)
basically what is the rule of thumb concerning how much space per chicken for them to be healthy and comfortable

It is recommended that chickens have 4 sq feet of space per bird in the coop and 10 sq feet of space per bird in the run. More coop space is needed if you get winters. More space is needed for turkeys.