What size does my run need to be for 14 chickens?

[azelgin]

Quote:
The general rule is 4 sq.ft. of coop floor space per chicken and 10 sq.ft. of run area. You're going to be a little on the small side.

 

[Intheswamp]

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I'm sorry...but that's not quite true. The more square it is, the less fencing you'll need. Longer rectengular runs will need more fencing for the same square footage.

Examples (I picked easy numbers, not real):

20' x 20' = 400 sq ft.....perimeter = 80 ft of fencing

10' x 40' = 400 sq ft.....perimeter = 100 ft of fencing

Thar's ur sign!

 

[k2chickens]

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The general rule is 4 sq.ft. of coop floor space per chicken and 10 sq.ft. of run area. You're going to be a little on the small side.

oh crap!

I guess i thought wrong. Whenever i let my girl's free range..they allways tend to stay in groups of three...within about a 3 to 4 sq ft place...they move in that formation as well. So i thought 10 chicken's.....50 sq ft of run space...that should be ok right? Hmm ive put alot of hour's into sanding, staining, and sealing as well

 

[TXmom]

Quote:
The general rule is 4 sq.ft. of coop floor space per chicken and 10 sq.ft. of run area. You're going to be a little on the small side.

oh crap!

I guess i thought wrong. Whenever i let my girl's free range..they allways tend to stay in groups of three...within about a 3 to 4 sq ft place...they move in that formation as well. So i thought 10 chicken's.....50 sq ft of run space...that should be ok right? Hmm ive put alot of hour's into sanding, staining, and sealing as well

Are you going to continue letting them free range at least part time? If so, then you can probably get away with a smaller run. If they will be in the coop/run all the time, it needs to be bigger to prevent problems.

 

[Sissy]

I have a run 6x15 ft. long and have 15 hens also the coop attached is 6x6 I think I need an expansion..

 

[davidr]

I've read the 4 in and 10 out per bird rule of thumb, but is it accurate?

I know bigger is better but, I've seen lots of chicken tractors that do not follow this.

David

.

 

[k2chickens]

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exactly!!!!!! All the "built to buy" chicken tractor's and coop's with runs all seem to have very tiny run's and floor space. My guess is that the manufacturer's thought's are "people will let their chicken's free range" so i guess the skip out on the sq ft. department.

 

[rancher hicks]

Now I've read the 4' sq rule and I wonder how many people really have that much footage? Please get out a tape measure and see just how big a coop for ten birds would be at that measurement. An 8x10 garden shed would only allow for 4 birds. Is that what you've got? Apparently there is a great misunderstanding as to what constitutes a 4' sqr.
At that measurement it would mean a coop, as wide as our entire lot, wider than our house.
It would mean a coop 40 feet wide by 40 feet wide. My point being the coops I've been seeing on this site are definitely not allowing 4 square feet of space.
My run will be when I'm done 8'x24 for 25 birds. I do let the free range for an hour on occassion and put them in at night. To build a predator proof run 40'x40' would cost thousands of dollars. For ten birds? It wouldn't be worth the money and cheaper to buy eggs from the store. This according to Back Yard Poultry magazine.

 

[ColoradoMike]

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The rule of thumb for the coop is 4 square feet per bird, not a square four feet per side - that would be 16 square feet per bird!

An 8x10 shed would be room enough for 20 birds using the 4 square feet per bird rule. 8x10 = 80 sq. ft.

At least that's my understanding from perusing this site...

 

[azelgin]

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exactly!!!!!! All the "built to buy" chicken tractor's and coop's with runs all seem to have very tiny run's and floor space. My guess is that the manufacturer's thought's are "people will let their chicken's free range" so i guess the skip out on the sq ft. department.

The square footage numbers truly are realistic for happy chickens. I have one coop that squeezes them in at 3 square feet per bird. They seem to get along fine. They have access to their run (12 sq.ft. per bird) 24/7, and free range during daylight hours. If they didn't, I have no doubt there would be trouble. It just feels crowded in there.

My other coop has 5 feet per chicken. Much more comfortable living conditions. Same 12 sq.ft. for their run.

I built a tractor with total footage (inside/outside) of 10 feet per chicken. Yea, it works, but it was for the roosters and if there are problems, somebody is headed to the freezer.

Keep in mind that we are in Arizona, so the weather is not an issue to keep them from being in the run, or outside. You can try and cram your chickens into smaller areas, just don't be too surprised if you end up with picking problems.