4 ft by 4ft coop will hold how many?

[sillycmoy]

I'm going to buy a coop from someone who builds them local, he states that it will hold up to 8-10 chickens fine. I actually bought a pre-made, but after reading everything it made me so scared to put them in it, so I'm taking it back. Hopefully they take them back, its still in the box. We currently have 10 rescued chicks, but are probably only going to keep about 5-7 of them. Will this work, with a 18 ft by 12 ft run, and free range most of the time. I just talked to the guy, its 4 by 4 and is 5 feet tall, so its 20 square feet if my math is right. Has 3 nest boxes, and 3 levels of perches. I also think I have Cochin x, since they are feathered legs

Here are pics




Thanks

 

[sillycmoy]

I should add that I think we have Cochin x chicks, they have feathered legs, and we might keep a barred rock if its not a roo.

 

[HandsomeRyan]

A 4x4 coop is 16²ft (4ft x 4ft = 16²ft) and based on the conventional wisdom of the folks here- you would have room for 4 full sized or maybe 5-6 bantam chickens. In the real world though chickens do not all conform to this equation and some people have chickens packed much more tightly than the recommended 4²ft per bird inside the coop with no problems while others may have 6²ft per bird and still experience behavioral trouble. There is not really any way to know what your experience will be other than trying it and see how it goes.

Best of luck!

 

[sillycmoy]

Thanks, I'm already thinking about getting some free pallets, and making them a pallet shelter, just more so for shade and to get out of the weather if needed. I was planning on building one for their run, and also somewhere else in the yard for when they are out in about. But I could turn one into another coop. Can you have to Coops? Or do they just like to have one?

 

[VelvettFog]

Stack those chooks like cord wood and you can get a hundred in there I betcha!

 

[Chickennutz]

Sounds like your girls will have a nice run to go into and free range too. I can't imagine that a 4x4 is only good for 4 chickens - I have a 5X8 so 40 square feet divided by 4ft per chicken gives a max of 10 chickens. I have 10 chickens in there right now and they have PLENTY of room. I imagine if that they were stuck in there for a good part of the day, or didn't have a good size run (they do), not getting more than 10 would be appropriate, but I feel like I could add 5-6 more and they would be fine. If your chickens are rescues, they will be happy with all the extra space and great care you will provide. I'd save 6-7 and let them enjoy life in your coop and run.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

It depends on if you keep them looked in the coop during days or weeks of winter. People do and people still heat coops too. For those of us that let the chickens be birds and go outside to play in winter 4 square ft per chicken for coop space is insane.

I've had up to 9 large fowl birds in a 4x4 coop. They seemed happier if only 7 and one of those was male. But again, I don't heat coops or every keep them locked inside except night time roosting so the limiting factor was roosting space on the favorite pole.

 

[Glogirl]

A 4x4 coop is 16²ft (4ft x 4ft = 16²ft) and based on the conventional wisdom of the folks here- you would have room for 4 full sized or maybe 5-6 bantam chickens. In the real world though chickens do not all conform to this equation and some people have chickens packed much more tightly than the recommended 4²ft per bird inside the coop with no problems while others may have 6²ft per bird and still experience behavioral trouble. There is not really any way to know what your experience will be other than trying it and see how it goes.

Best of luck!

You are way off….. plenty of room for eight or even 10. Especially with three nice perches.

 

[Brooks_]

You are way off….. plenty of room for eight or even 10. Especially with three nice perches.

It's much more nuanced than multiplying square feet by linear roost space.

 

[tlcmurphy]

We have a 4’X4’ coop and have had 4 full sized birds in there (currently 3). There MAY be enough room for 5 but I’d imagine they’d fight over the two 4’ long roosts.
Just realized this post is from 2013