What size is your coop? How many chickens are in it?

[SillyChicky]

I finally measured my coop because I was curious to see how many birds I can put in there for everyone to be content. I currently have 7 (one is in isolation for now) and my coop is 9'2"x11'3" with eight nest boxes that they don't use yet. I measured the run and it's 11x11', so according to my calculations I can comfortably have 15 chickens? (Going by the run measurement, eight' square per bird?) If I was to go by the coop measurements I could house 25? That sure seems like a lot of birds in the size of a horse stall.

I also told husband we need more birds before winter so they can keep eachother warm :-D lol

 

[yogifink]

What kid of chickens do you have, standard or bantam, meet or laying, just hens or cooks too? These all play a factor in space requirements.

I don't have a lot of experience with craming a lot of birds into a small space, but I would count on using no less than 10 sqft/bird in the run and and 4sqft/bird inside the coop. You math seems good for the most part from what other people are saying on the forum. However, I personnaly feel the more space for each chook the better, after all 10 sqft for a bird is like you being stuck in an average size cubical all day, every day...

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

My Trailer Coop is 7 1/2 ft X 21 1/2 ft (161.25 sq ft), I have about a hundered birds out there right now but they free range from the moment I open the coop in the morning to the time they put themselves up for bed. It is crowded in the coop when I go in to let them out in the morning. Enough roosting space is the most important thing. I have the advantage of the coop being off the ground to provide an extra 161.25 sq ft of shade and rain protection, a ground level coop would not so you need to take that into consideration.

 

[MEMama3]

My coop is 4'x6' (24 square ft) and it houses 8 birds. They free range all day every day so we've never had space problems.

 

[bluebirdnanny]

I am in the process of building a modified (for what materials I have) Woods Open Air Coop that will be 10x16.

I have/had a little TSC barn screened front coop with an always open pop hole door to the back nesting/roosting area.

It sets INSIDE the one I am building. So they already get feed in the open front part at bedtime. When the big coop is done I will shut the door of the nesting and force them to use the roosts in bigger coop.

Here it is:

The little one I had which they said 8-10 hens capacity!!!!!! NO WAY! The three are cramped in my book.

 

[bluebirdnanny]

Here is one from yest. Have not taken photos of todays work.

OOps! Wrong photo. That is what Grammi and family did for me. I put some more side work up and tacked in a window.
Will try and upload those later.

 

[Chickens R Us]

I have one coop that is 8'x16' good for 32 chickens I currently have 24 in there. I have a smaller coop that is 8'x8' good for 16 chickens I have 9 in there. I also have a 5'x10' hoop coop that is good for 12 chickens and I have 12 in there it's my bachelor pad that will be going to freezer camp. My run is 150'x150' divided into 3 sections that are removable

 

[SillyChicky]

Thanks for your input people ... I think for what we have now around 15 birds is tops. Free ranging isn't possible with our one lab mix, all the training in the world will never force her high prey drive into hibernation. I look forward to expanding their coop run next spring! Some trees gotta go! Lol

 

[SillyChicky]

Right now I have four pullets and three cockerels. These boys I'm trading for four EE pullets, then getting a Maran cockerel. So bok bok count will be 9. I'll see how they do, might throw in four more Marans. Cost of feed will hopefully be covered by egg sales.