How many chickens can fit in this coop/run? Anything we're missing?

[dearmeghann]

I always love to read these posts, so I thought I'd try it with our brand new coop. The girls were moved into their new coop this weekend - such a stressful time for us! They seem to be adjusting well to the changes and are figuring out their new home. Our head hen loves the stacked nesting boxes, haha!



I want to get more chicks this year, but I don't want to overdo it. How many hens would you feel is a comfortable fit? We've DIY'd this coop, so we can always add on (or remove the wall) in the future.

Is there anything we're missing? We've been adding more ventilation. Not pictured are the two windows that can be kept open.

We're also going to add an extension to the run, possibly without a roof. They get free-range time when we're at home. But we wanted to give them more to explore when we're not - especially if we add to our flock.



Thanks for all your input!

 

[NatJ]

I want to get more chicks this year, but I don't want to overdo it. How many hens would you feel is a comfortable fit? We've DIY'd this coop, so we can always add on (or remove the wall) in the future.

How big is the coop?
How many roosts are there, and how long are they?

A common guideline is 4 square feet of space per chicken in the coop, and 1 linear foot of roost per chicken.

When you are introducing new chickens, you often need more space than that guideline suggests. Sometimes you need a LOT more space.

In some other situations you can get away with less space than that guideline suggests. For example, if the run is predator-proof and the pop door is always open, chickens can use the run space at all times and may not need quite as much space in the coop. But if bad weather forces them to stay inside the coop, overcrowding can cause issues pretty quickly.

 

[dearmeghann]

How big is the coop?
How many roosts are there, and how long are they?

A common guideline is 4 square feet of space per chicken in the coop, and 1 linear foot of roost per chicken.

When you are introducing new chickens, you often need more space than that guideline suggests. Sometimes you need a LOT more space.

In some other situations you can get away with less space than that guideline suggests. For example, if the run is predator-proof and the pop door is always open, chickens can use the run space at all times and may not need quite as much space in the coop. But if bad weather forces them to stay inside the coop, overcrowding can cause issues pretty quickly.

Forgot to put the measurements. Thank you for reminding me!

The available space (not including the droppings board) inside the coop is around 5'x8'. They have about 8 feet of roosting bar. We only have one, but we could always extend the droppings board and add a second one. The run is 8'x16'.

That's a really good point about coop space. Our girls like to hang out in both areas throughout the day. I'll be curious to see if that continues.

So thankful we have the new coop up before getting new girls. We're planning on using the smaller coop to raise the chicks until they're a little bigger.

 

[NatJ]

Forgot to put the measurements. Thank you for reminding me!

The available space (not including the droppings board) inside the coop is around 5'x8'. They have about 8 feet of roosting bar. We only have one, but we could always extend the droppings board and add a second one. The run is 8'x16'.

That's a really good point about coop space. Our girls like to hang out in both areas throughout the day. I'll be curious to see if that continues.

So thankful we have the new coop up before getting new girls. We're planning on using the smaller coop to raise the chicks until they're a little bigger.

In that case, I would estimate about 8-10 chickens.

If you are getting chicks, maybe get enough to bring the total up to 10, but be open to the idea of ending up with a slightly smaller number (if one or two die, or need rehoming for some reason, or if they just seem too crowded.)

 

[dearmeghann]

In that case, I would estimate about 8-10 chickens.

If you are getting chicks, maybe get enough to bring the total up to 10, but be open to the idea of ending up with a slightly smaller number (if one or two die, or need rehoming for some reason, or if they just seem too crowded.)

We would absolutely be okay with having 3-5. I was also thinking about the "what-ifs" and didn't want to get too few and accidently only have one to raise alone. Thank you for responding! You affirmed a lot of my thoughts but made me think of a few more.

 

[Ridgerunner]

For my thoughts on space you might follow the link in my signature below. That might give you a few more things to think about.

With your location (thanks for that info) they should have access to the run pretty much year around. You'll probably get a few weather days in winter so don't try to squeeze them too tightly.

I'd agree with NatJ's numbers. You will be OK with 8 total, probably Ok with 10 total. When you integrate do it in decent weather so you can take advantage of what space you have.