How Much Space Do Chickens Need

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How much space do chickens need. For example if you are keeping chickens solely in confinement in a chicken coop you will need more indoor space. The golden rule is not to overstock. Every chicken needs a roaming space of at least 15 square feet meaning that you ll have to ensure about 90 square feet for six chickens. In terms of roaming each chicken at a minimum will require 15 square foot.

So if you have 6 chickens you will need around 90 square foot 6 15. In other words context is everything. More square footage is better. The minimum rule of thumb is about 2 to 3 square feet per chicken inside the chicken coop and 8 to 10 square feet per chicken in an outside run.

There is a clear distinction in cost because you ll need less space and will use much less food than with a regular sized flock. If you have two chickens and 4 square feet per chicken the two chickens occupy 2 square feet which leaves 6 square feet for them to explore. Skimping on space requirements for a flock of chickens can cause stress cannibalism pecking and sometimes even death. Hens need company and three is an ideal number giving you a spare hen should one suddenly decide to turn up her claws.

In the run they should have no less than 10 square feet per chicken. However outside run space should extend to a full 10 square feet per bird another minimum recommendation. Just 4 square feet per bird is a fine estimate for indoor coop space. But if you want to make your chickens happy the more room you give them the better.

Generally speaking a chicken needs about three to four square feet of coop space per adult bird. A square metre per hen is the basic minimum in a back garden run although two square metres for each hen would be much better. Well actually what s on the ground makes a huge difference in how much space you need to allow for it to remain workable. However the calculations aren t always that simple.

Usually about the size of a regular chicken. The larger standard chickens such as the dominique faverolles or australorp will each require the full square feet of coop space. Breeds that do well with less space. In the winter extra space holds more cold air that chickens have to fill with body heat so don t waste space.

If you have ten chickens with 4 square feet per chicken each chicken has 30 unoccupied square feet to explore. For example five chickens might be kept happily on litter two feet deep in a stationary covered run that s 10 by 10 but a 10 by 10 stationary grassy run is going to become a feces caked hellhole very quickly and not so grassy. If you want to grow free range chickens you ll have to supply them with a minimum of 20 25 square feet of outside space.