This is why we have min space requirement confusion.

[Stormhorse23]

i have a brahma, a rock, 2 silkies, and my banty mix in a tiny coop that they are never in (covered run) and they all sleep on top on each other.

 

[KingsCalls]

There seems to me, some people have CHICKENS & SARDINES confused with each other!

 

[LoneCowboy]

Well, ok let me clarify. 2 sq feet for bantams, 3 sq feet for standard sized hens (leghorn, red stars EE's) 4 for heavy breeds (RIR, NHR, BO, austalorps etc) I'd go even bigger for Jersey Giants. This should be considered a min.

Having said that, I'll will be going over the amount myself this spring for a short time. I'll be culling out the poor layers for some better ones. But then we'll be back to the right amount

 

[Marlinchaser]

Quote:
what book does this come from?? Happy chickens in your back yard??? BY________ I dont know. Every book says something different.

Mine do not have that much space, but they seem happy, then again they dont spend time in coop, they get out in AM and go in to lay an egg, grab a quick bite then right back outside till time for bed, even in snow they go hang out under picnic table, under my trailer, or just hang out under the bushes and trees. And they will cram 25 birds under a 5x8 trailer so they overcrowd themselves when they get to choose. They also will all try to get to same spot under the bushes like the egg box they all like that one spot is best, but they will stand wing to wong all trying to get the same spot. I would never think of putting 6 hens in a 3x2 box and think they are happy, but if they are happy with less than 4 sq feet of COOP space who is to say they can not be happy?? I think more should be weighed into other space available to them. If you only have a 4x8 coop and a 4x8 run I would think 4 sq ft is minimum, but if they have a 1/2 acre yard available to free range(truley free range is another subject) on then I would have no problem giving them less space.

 

[LoneCowboy]

Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens by Gail Damerow is one of the books. I agree if they've got an acre to play on, you might get away with less space.

Edited to add... but not much less

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

That is mean to have chickens so cramped. my chickens have the run of the yard in spring and there coop is going to be huge.

 

[krturpie]

my impression is that an ideal amount space is based mostly on the need for coop cleanliness (esp in regard to chicken health), and not entirely on chicken "feelings". but, i think a chicken's "need for space" might change with age and season.

at the moment, i have 6 pullets, all getting close to starting, in a 12 sq ft coop. they go in only at night and pile on top of each other and take up only about a third to half of the space... the actual proportion depending on their mood, i think

. i believe that this small amount of space works for now mainly because i change their hay/straw substrate frequently and because it's really cold out, so the microbial and parasite growth is slowed. also, they're still a little young, and probably don't need their separate spaces (e.g., nesting boxes) quite as much yet.

i'm building a larger coop with nesting boxes that they should have well before warmer weather hits. i am shooting for around magic number of 4 sq ft per chicken for the new coop. i'm hoping that will be enough for summer's heat, but intend to include adjustable ventilation to help. fortunately, the new coop is taller too, so there'll be addition roosting space. even though this doesn't change the scat per area (SPA

), i think it provides effectively more space for birds because it gives them a chance to get off the substrate.

anyway, so my current theory, being a novice at this, is that actual ideal amount of space might be a function of cleaning frequency (less frequent --> more space better), ambient temperature (lower temp --> less space better), and chicken maturity (more space with age), and that 4 sq ft is a long term balance between these considerations for fully grown birds. i'm sure building cost plays a role too. but, this is all guess work on my behalf and i'm feeling my way through this based on what i see and read. so, i asked the experts, do those dependencies sound about right?

also, i suspect that 4 sq ft might not always be best (i've read posts where 4 sq ft lead to popsicle chickens in extremely cold environments), it just works best for most situations. that's probably why that value seems up for debate at times. but, i'm going on the prevailing wisdom of 4 sq ft for my new coop and using other design considerations to help adjust for seasonal changes (e.g., adding heat and insolation for extremely cold weather, if necessary, and vents for summer) and being careful about keeping up with cleaning.

 

[Marlinchaser]

Quote:
what is so mean?? refering to which post??
where are your chickens now if you dont have a coop for them??

 

[speckledhen]

Honestly, I think minimum sq ft suggestions are made for instances where the birds are locked up together for long periods of time due to weather or whatever. I know that with fewer birds in a larger area, the coop is a cleaner place to be with less effort on my part. Mine freerange most of every day so I may fudge a tiny bit for a period of time by adding 3-4 extra girls, such as trying to bring along a younger crowd before I lose older layers. When the older layers are gone, there will be extra space again.

 

[kstaven]

I agree Cynthia. The square footage assumes that chickens are inside a good deal of the time. Mine range all winter and just go in if the weather is extreme and at night. In the cold weather the chickens stay much warmer in a smaller coop. Less frost bite issues. But a lot more cleaning to do.

Nothing cruel about it at all.