Chicken bald back

[ISCA]

Although I am getting a 3.5 x 3 foot wooden coop and 12 x 6 foot run, I was looking at the cubes earlier and Eglu say it can accommodate 6-10 birds. Now the dimensions of the cube itself are almost identical to my new coop (but in the cube the nest boxes are in in main coop whereas in my wooden coop the nest boxes are annexed at the side). So the Cube roosting area is slightly smaller overall compared to my coop.

 

I am trying to assess how many large birds (Marans, Sussex, Orps etc) I can safely house in my 10.5 foot square coop. How many birds of this size would you say was safe to keep in a cube? I would have thought even 6 was OTT?

[Redwing]

There are a few on here that have 12+ chickens in a cube

 

The main difference between the cube and your coop is the design, the cube has a floor that is nearly all perching space which means the birds can nestle at angles to each pther and more birds will fit in as there is plenty of floor space for them all. Your coop has two perches - allowing for about a foot or so of perch per bird that restricts you as the floor space becomes irrelevant

 

You'd be stuck for adding more perches as all perches should be at the same height and the big door on the back will restrict that

 

You cant mock up the cube roosting bar system or remove the perches as then the roosting area will be lower than the nest boxes so the chickens will sleep in the nest boxes

 

You could put a slatted roosting mezzanine in I suppose but with room needed to get up to it you'd struggle to make more space than the two perches

 

So my answer is 6-7 large fowl but not the very large ones as some (like the Orps) are massive

[Jools]

While I fully understand your enthusiasm, you're starting your chicken keeping career on the wrong foot if you're thinking about how many you can fit in at this stage.

 

It's much better for chickens in terms of health and behaviour if they have more room and not less, which is as true of the coop as it is the run. Overcrowding the run will lead to boredom and bullying problems and squeezing them into the coop at night will cause health issues.

 

Maybe you should re-think your housing plans and start will something bigger?

[ISCA]

I am certainly not intending to try and squeeze in as many chickens as I can, you misunderstand me I think. I am just suprised at how many chickens manufacturers say can fit in a coop when I would have concerns about putting in anywhere near that number. I just can not imagine 10 bantams, let alone 10 larger hens living in a cube with a 3m run. Likewise with other maufacturers, they do all seem to be a tad over-optimistic about how many hens can fit into the space available. But I am a newbie, what do I know?

 

It is confusing for new chicken keepers though, as the advice avail;able out there is conflicting and can lead to confusion. Recommedations for floor spacing and perch space vary widely I have found.

[Lewis]

I suppose you have to take what they say as the maximum - they're trying to sell a product so people will buy the one that holds the most hens.

 

6, to me, seems fine - bantams will take up less space and larger breeds such as orps may take up double the space.

If it were me I'd start with 4, then plan to get a couple more later in the year/next year, so they don't all stop laying at the same time

[chelsea]

I have a mixture of hybrids and large pure breeds in my cube, we currently have 5 in the cube as sadly one hen passed away 3 weeks ago. 4-5 hens is a good starting point in the cube providing you have good run space. I do not like to over crowd so wouldn't go anymore than 6, but some people do have more successfully in a cube and walk in run. The cube is very big and several of mine sleep in the nestbox which leaves loads of room on the actual roosting bars .

[Space Chick]

To add in my views, you main restriction is your run size, a 12ft by 6 ft run will accommodate 6 hens comfortably.

 

As for the cube, 6 is absolutely fine I have 12 girls sleeping in my cube, and there is still room to spare in there (although I do have smaller large fowl in the main, and no big girls like Orps or Cochins). I actually think that its been a bonus having 12 sleeping together, as it has meant they have been able to cuddle up to each other in this cold weather

[Plum]

1sq metre per hen is recommendation for the run so your run would be 8 sq metres. On that basis up to 8 chickens.

Been looking at your set up and it gives 6-8 chickens for the house. Why not start with a few then you are sure to want different ones as you learn about them and can add later (not as easy as it sounds but that's half the fun )

[prof]

i have 3 orps , a ,a , a similar sized cross to the hybrids, and a brahma all in my and they have plenty of room in there. i do have an extension on though, mainly for when im on holiday, as for the rest of the time they have a large free range area to roam about in. They also have access to a which they only use for laying eggs in

[Jools]

1sq metre per hen is recommendation for the run

 

Just to clarify, that's the recommended minimum run space per chicken and it usually refers to hybrid-size birds, not giants like Orps lol.

[Janty]

I used to have two cubes and the chickens free ranged all day. At night time, I regularly had 15 - 17 chickens (from brahmas and cochins down to pekins) sleeping in one cube whilst only a handful slept in the other. It is surprising how they squash up together. Now I have 29 in a walk in run with three cubes. One cube regularly stands empty, five sleep in another and the rest either cram into the third or they sleep out, even in this weather.

 

 

As others have said, it's the run that restricts numbers more. My run is roughly 5 x 7 mtrs but I am going to separate my girls out a bit at Easter when the second 'Tony' is built.