Where does the “4’ per hen in the coop” rule really come from?

[philm]

I. Like your idea but think out the roof hieght in the run as 3 feet makes it harder to clean out . Ps I went for a. Left off roof. Hope this helps

 

[jimmywalt]

Sounds good here is a 4'X4'X3' Pallet Coop I'm working on for my mom. That's free, but it looks good. So good luck post some pics would love to see the out come.

How big did you make the hole they enter & exit?

 

[Ga Boy]

12"X12"

 

[tcmstalcup]

I learned most chicken care from my family. Every generation has had household chickens and sold a few eggs.. I also have read quite a bit (I am educated). Mostly I watch my chickens to determine what they need. My hens don't have that much space in the coop and run but are turned out every day. If I noticed picking or other behavior that indicated overcrowding, I would change things up accordingly. I don't know where the rule came from but your chickens will "tell" you what they need.

 

[ChicksandWeeds]

I decided to forget the pre-fab coop I purchased and instead build one that's 4'x4'x4'.

It will be 20 inches off the ground which will give them 16 sq ft feet of run under it, plus I am going to modify my 8' long x 30" wide x 3' tall run to be 8' long x 4' wide by 3' tall. This will give an additional 32 sq ft of run. That will be a total of 48 sq ft. of run for 4 hens outside.

That's more than enough and is going to HAVE TO BE.  You agree????

if you don't have more than 4 chickens, it will be ok, but 10 square feet per bird in confinement is sort of considered minimum if they don't ever get out. on a roost, only my bigger chickens need about a foot on the roost or get squeezed, which they don't seem to mind some of the time. make sure the box/coop it is closeable, very well ventilated and weasel-proof. If your run is covered, you'll be ok for them even in rain to get they pecking needs met - if you put stuff in to scratch and peck and maybe a couple of roosts however - if you can let them out to forage too, they will be happier. my coop is 9x12 feet - 108 square feet for 24 chickens - just enough for roost and using the nest boxes ...but they would soon go nuts in there if confined for days....and can't wait to get out in the morning.

 

[CurtisCr79]

I bought the exact same coop from my local Tractor Supply. Soon after assembling it I realized it is much to small. It look like it may be OK for 2 chickens, however 4 large breed chickens will be way to cramped in the coop. Best I can understand is when they put 2-4 chickens on the description it meant 2 large breed or 4 small breed like bantams or Sumatrans. I see you opted to go a different route than this coop, but I want to make sure everyone else that thinks about this coop know my experience.

Oh, and I am currently building a coop/run. 5x5 coop and a 5x10 run, I plan on extending the run next year.

 

[missnu01]

My chickens don't mind staying in their coop and actually spend time in there often with the door open for them to go out. They won't go out in the rain, or snow...so I'm glad I have as much space as I do...then again if the coop were smaller I probably wouldn't see them in there hanging out on nice days too...Lol. They get out and range about the property then come back to the coop for a little rest, and then they'll come back out for a bit, so on and so forth. I kept them in today, didn't even give the option, it's raining and then freezing raining, and then raining again...I guess it's good because the hens use these breaks to leave me eggs in the coop as opposed to up in the woods and hidden all about..

 

[ChicksandWeeds]

I. Like your  idea but think out the roof hieght in the run as 3 feet  makes it harder to clean out . Ps I went for a. Left off roof. Hope this helps 

agreed, 3 feet is low...also, you want the roof slanted - so 4 feet in front and less in back maybe. make sure you have enough overhang ....i only have hardware cloth and a few boards and if i didn't have 2 feet overhang, the wind would blow rain in it. this is a mute point if it stand in a covered run.

 

[jimmywalt]

I bought the exact same coop from my local Tractor Supply. Soon after assembling it I realized it is much to small. It look like it may be OK for 2 chickens, however 4 large breed chickens will be way to cramped in the coop. Best I can understand is when they put 2-4 chickens on the description it meant 2 large breed or 4 small breed like bantams or Sumatrans. I see you opted to go a different route than this coop, but I want to make sure everyone else that thinks about this coop know my experience.

Oh, and I am currently building a coop/run. 5x5 coop and a 5x10 run, I plan on extending the run next year.

I'm taking my TSC coop back (it's still in the box), and I'm building this one. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-the-entry-exit-be-the-nest-box#post_10856935

 

[mommyoftwo]

Sounds good here is a 4'X4'X3' Pallet Coop I'm working on for my mom. That's free, but it looks good. So good luck post some pics would love to see the out come.

How did you make this?