How many chickens fit inside?
Space requirements vary depending on the breed.
The space requirements of chickens depend on the particular breeds you want to keep. So the first step would be to be clear about which breeds you want to have. If your chickens fly a lot, you may need a high fence . Chickens with less calm behavior need more space in the coop and on the roost than dwarf breeds or calmer chickens. Once you have chosen which breeds you want, you can adapt your chickens’ home much better to their needs .
You should also know the approximate number of chickens you want to keep so that the size of the coop and run is suitable for your poultry flock. There are two guidelines that you can use as a guide.
Space requirements for chickens in the coop
The square meter rule of thumb
In Germany, standard-sized organic laying hens live six to a square meter of barn space. With two square meters of barn space, it is therefore possible to keep a maximum of a dozen, or better 10 average chickens. This is more than enough to provide a family of four with eggs.
You should only allow your animals less space if you have a very large run with a rainproof shelter. Then fewer animals will be in the hutch during the day in bad weather and it won’t be too cramped. A clever arrangement of the outdoor enclosure will give you a little leeway.
You should also let your chickens out quite early in the morning if you have a high stocking density. If you want to spare your neighbors, you may want to program your chicken door so that it doesn’t open until 8 o’clock in the morning. In this case, you should keep one chicken less per square meter so that there is no mad scramble in the morning between waking up at sunrise and opening the door.
The perch meter rule of thumb
Organic chickens in Germany are currently only allowed 18 cm of perch per chicken. However, it is better to allow each of your chickens approx. 25-30 cm on the roost. When roosting, they will only need about half the space because they snuggle up so closely together. When they go to bed at night, however, it will be easier for lower-ranking birds to get a free space on the perch without having to squeeze into a gap between higher-ranking birds and getting a slap on the head all night for being so cheeky.
Too much space in the henhouse is not good either
However, it also makes no sense to have far too few hens in a henhouse that is far too large. In well-insulated coops made of thermocouples, temperatures do not fall below 0 degrees on cold winter nights if there are enough chickens in the coop to heat it up with their body heat. However, if there are too few chickens in a coop that is too large, the body heat emitted is not sufficient. Condensation forms on the too-cold coop ceiling, which then freezes and drips down onto the poultry during the next dew period.
Space requirements for chickens in the enclosure / garden
According to regulations, every German organic chicken is allowed 4 square meters of free range. This is a rule of thumb that you should not go below for normal-sized chickens. However, with only 4 square meters per chicken, you must be aware that very quickly there will not be a blade of grass to be found. So give your birds more space to roam or let them explore the rest of your garden from time to time – even if this causes minor collateral damage. The more space they have, the less additional feed they need and the chickens have something to do. This also helps to reduce scuffles. But not every large chicken needs more space in the pasture. It depends much more on how lively and flighty the breed is.