How many chickens fit in a coop? The real answer!

#backyardchickens #chickencoops #coopdiy
Matt answers one of the most important questions about keeping chickens. How many chickens fit in a coop? Matt explains exactly how to figure out the number of chickens your coop will hold in order to keep them healthy and happy! This is real chicken math at work!
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[@antwain7942]

I have the American coop with deep litter and had 12 chickens for 4 months. I had a neighbor give me 6 more and wow the chickens had enough room on the bars but that poop was adding up fast!!!! So much chicken poop. I have 11 months on this bedding “industrial hemp” and still no bad smells. It may last 6 more months but will need changed then. So I’d say industrial hemp is well worth the price.

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Thank you for sharing. And we won't comment on your chicken math skills. 😁

[@antwain7942]

@@CarolinaCoopsVideos I need a bigger coop. Ill get a bigger one if I can trade this one in?🤣

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

@@antwain7942 😃

[@va_bg]

That’s really cool then. We don’t have industrial hemp in our country or at least I can’t find any

[@toniahand6251]

Beautiful coops! Really liking all these short videos with great information. Yes, Chickens need more room than we think they do. So many different personalities in any flock of chickens will create stressful behaviors. Your information and knowledge of the construction of chicken coops will help reduce problems that might arise when chickens don't have adequate room in the coop and run. Gotta keep our girls happy! Rainy wet Wyoming -waiting for your next coop build video.

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Thank you Tonia. You are so right, chickens require and deserve as much room as we can give them. It definitely cuts down the stress that can arise from a flock of birds.

[@Bittagrit]

My 17 chickens free range during day. At night they roost in a 10 ft x 30 ft old barn, with 2 x 4 x 10 ft roosts mounted 10 ft up off the ground. We put plywood panels on one wall for the 6 nest boxes. We also have a mobile coup in there for mammas and babies , plus a coup for our 4 older girls to roost in if they don’t feel like flying up to roost with the others. My point is plenty of room for the various personalities in the pecking order. This gentleman has good advice and high quality coups. His advice on size is spot on. But as you consider your options, also consider pecking order and personalities. Not all chickens get along.

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Very true regarding the pecking order! Thank you for the support and the comment!

[@billthompson8182]

Pretty nice coop for people with smaller yards.

[@Raphaelavilochan]

Much needed information. Thanks

[@kevinhawley8724]

Real question, "How many chickens fit in an oven?"

[@danieparriott265]

4 fit in my stock pot.

[@kgfeldman]

This was the best explanation I’ve seen. Solid, logical, and scientific reasoning. Thank you!

[@seantbr2019]

I have a 10x10 covered dog run with a tool shed that ive converted to a coop and have 16 hens no nest boxes and they are wing to wing in the coop at night and they are some happy girls

[@christian_cantarutti]

He is a salesman. They are probably warmer at night in your coop.

[@seantbr2019]

@@christian_cantarutti I get that

[@kevinbaker6168]

The thought was at least 2 square feet per bird. Personally I feel the more room you have, the better..

[@737smartin]

The most common internet answer I've found is 4sf of coop per bird. I'm building a coop now, planning 2.4 sf per bird, with 12' of roost perch for 10 birds. Hope it works out. It's under a balcony we use a fair bit, and I'll have to carefully guard against bad smells. 😅

[@ivand5670]

Such beautiful chicken coops! These are the Rolls Royce of chicken coops.

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Thank you.

[@troydefond2307]

lmao, with a Rolls-Royce price tag to fit. A simple 5 gallon bucket for nesting box and couple hundred doolar shed will do the trick.

[@morganflaherty9552]

I've got a 16ft run and I'm working on an 8-4 coupe bringing my coop and run to 24 ft by 4ft and I've only got chickens and they're not full grown

[@dcrane3950]

The Carolina Coop has a bad floor plan . The hens have to walk under the roost poles immediately on entering the hen house . In my hen house they never have to walk under roost poles to get to nest boxes or be in the open area .

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Thank you for your feedback on the Carolina Coop floor plan. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. We understand that different coop layouts work best for different flock sizes and management styles. Our design is intended to provide a comfortable and efficient space for your chickens. It's important to point out that chickens aren't using the nest boxes at night when others are roosting. Our design has been developed from over a decade of building chicken coops. If you're interested in exploring alternative coop designs, we encourage you to check out our website for additional options or consider customizing a coop to meet your specific needs.

[@johneubanks5951]

Very nice coops, I'm going to go to your website and check'm out and need a bigger coop. I never thought raising chickens and eating the eggs would be a "Me" thing, but oh how wrong I was. I can taste the difference in full time coop chicken eggs vs free ranging chicken eggs..gotta let'm range for sure!

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Thanks John, we love talking about free ranging, chickens are originally woodland animals and they love to work. Letting them free range is great for their work ethic.

[@sparkyprep3905]

Best made chicken coops you can buy. Period. Thank you Carolina Coops!

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Thank you! We appreciate your support.

[@1dilligaf]

I have an 8 x 8 coupe I have 16 chickens. I have two 8:foot roost bars and two 2 foot roost bars on the back wall every night when I go in and count my chickens to make sure they all came back 12 of them are sitting on the one 8 foot bar, two of them are on the other 8 foot bar and two of them are on the 2 foot bars and it’s the same every night. The top bar has 12 chickens right shoulder to shoulder.

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Chickens are going to do what chickens are gonna do, but at least with our calculations they have options. Plus we notice when it's very hot out they like their room and spread their wings a bit to keep cool. Thanks so much for your comment

[@1dilligaf]

@@CarolinaCoopsVideos not criticizing your estimate I gave my chickens more than enough room to find out that group I have just likes to jam together.

[@morganflaherty9552]

I've got eleven cats I'm not letting my chickens free-range until they're bigger than the cats one of them's really good with them but the rest not so much

[@tomjohnson7622]

Your video makes me want to raise chicken.

[@jaredshoemaker9196]

Very nice job on the build and design of your coops. I've looked at a lot of your coops and they do not disappoint. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Thank you so much for the compliments. We appreciate it so much

[@malcolmpayne9517]

I have a 8ft.x8ft. chicken coop with 3 roosting bars that are 8ft. long and I also have a roosting ladder that is staggered with 4 levels. I have 6 nesting boxes built into the floor on the opposite side of the roosting bars, so they don't poop on the nesting boxes at night when they sleep. I have a lid to open on the outside for easy access to the nesting boxes. I have 15 laying hens. I have light brahmas, buff orpingtons, americaunas, speckled sussexes, gold laced wyandottes, and buttercups. I have all that roosting space, but all my hens prefer to roost close together. Even now in the summertime, my hens roost at night wing to wing. I guess it's because they were all gotten together at 3 days old as chicks. I ordered them from Murray McMurray Hatchery. I live in South Alabama, and it gets hot in the summer, but they huddle together on the roosting bars. My coop is in a 10ft.x20ft. run, but they also free range everyday, except for my buttercups. My buttercups don't like to leave the run at all. I also have 4 guineas, but they roost in my pecan trees. The way my chickens roost, I could easily double my birds to 30, because they roost bunched up. 15 is enough, as they provide many eggs for my family and my neighbors.

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

It sounds like you are doing everything right! Thanks for watching.

[@737smartin]

5:50 ... Carolina Coops guy says you DO have to consider the "size of the diaper." The SF of floorspace in your coop can be a limiting factor unless you're comfortable doing more frequent cleaning. More chickens = more strain on your litter "system."

[@rickhaile2190]

How many chickens in a coop? None! Mine run loose in my back yard! They get to eat grass & grass seeds, as well as bugs and even butterflies when they can catch them.

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

That is certainly ideal! A goal of ours is to give the joy of chicken keeping to as many people as possible. Many of our customers do not have the luxury of a backyard or space for free ranging. Thank you for the comment!

[@HomesteadEngineering]

Really excellent video! I wonder why other coop builders don't talk about these rules??? Things they don't want you to know...

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Man I couldn’t agree more. They just want to make a quick sale.

[@thrice5560]

Only question i have is. Why did the 🐥 cross the 🛣️?

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

To get into a Carolina Coop?

[@Nonyabusiness911]

Those are beautifully done coops. However it just wouldn’t be worth the expense. Free range chicken eggs are just to cheap. I buy 4 dozen every 3 weeks.

[@KathleenAndicochea]

How big of a coop would I need for 6 chicken that can’t run in the yard ?

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Bare minimum is 10 sq foot per chicken. But that's still not a lot of space to live a great life. The bigger the better with run size. Our American coop would be great, but a run of at least 18 foot would best if they can never leave the run.

[@sherylparsons2104]

Beautiful coops, but way out of my budget. They're amazing.

[@ConnersWorld]

I love Carolina Coops! Always fun to see.

[@CRoo-zu5ij]

Carolina Coops is the best thing to happen to backyard chicken keeping...y'all really have set the standard

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Thank you so much!

[@victorbunch7725]

I have a small coop w/5 austrolorps w/3 nest bx's, and they all use the same bx i caught 3 hens on one bx at the same time lol, BTW , I read that if you have black hens there are less chance of Hawk pred's and so far it seems true, Haven't seen a Hawk since i got black chickens where i was losing hens nearly every day before!!! [are hawks prejudice] IDK,,, LOL

[@teresajeffrey6165]

Cool information. Thanks

[@susanv1535]

How much hemp do you put in the coop to start on the 6x 18 ? The scoop has 3 nest boxes. Do you put hemp in the nest boxes too?

[@briancaleb6503]

Thank you for awesome advice!

[@sloanehodge6065]

Love the Carolina Coop.

[@marymarseglia4536]

I have 12' x 20'. How many can i truly have ? Oh ok 1' rule on roost bar But my coop will fit then easy 30 chickens as its 240 sqft tge coop. The shed next to them is 12x24 which im going to have several dairy goats I have 6.25 pastured acres so i have almost 2 acres fenced

[@Fordgroup00]

We tried letting a broody hen raise babies in the main coop and the adult hens killed the chicks We have several hens fight over one box and leave other boxes empty 🤦‍♂️

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Sorry to hear that. Sometimes chicken mommas aren't great at protecting their babies. We recommend a separate space for momma and babies in that case, either a reinforced dog crate, or we now had a basement brooder add-on to our coops which allows the space under the henhouse to be closed off. And yes, hens always want the same nest box it seems, even with choices!

[@kirstencase1289]

My run is going to be 10x20ft run…with space under the coop (4x8), and I have 16 chickens…I think it’s big enough…

[@737smartin]

230+ sf of run should be fine.

[@user-bj1mx2ip1c]

If your. Chickens aren't laying every day or every other day than they are too cramped. I amd learning this now with my chcikens

[@roberttassone7676]

Cleaning the hen house once a year is just gross! We do it everyday. Talkes 5 minutes with the right design.

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Thanks for your comments. However, we are working hard to take the work out of chicken keeping and find no reason to have to clean a coop that often! Even a poultry vet agrees with our deep litter method, as long as you use something absorbent, like our hemp bedding, and don't overload your henhouse. We believe with the right design, you don't have to clean your henhouse more than once a year. thanks for watching. carolinacoops.com/hemp/

[@Chad-u8s]

I built a 4x4 coop with a perch that leans against the wall, and two roost bars higher up. I’m afraid there is not enough room to walk around as the perch takes a lot of room. I have 6 chickens coming, is this enough room?

[@robertcastello2961]

Good video. Robert Castello Dixie General Store Heflin Alabama

[@Heatherdove]

How do you clean under the 8ft wide 6ft deep coop? How much crawl space is there if you need to get under it?

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

There is enough crawl space to get under there and clean if need me. Just out of curiosity (maybe for video ideas :) what would you need to clean under the henhouse?

[@eliseville]

Wow! Feeling much better about my “chicken math” issues now. I’ve finally incorporated enough pasture for my current, almost 2-year-old 8 different Heritage & cross ladies but my dad’s coop is technically already tight. I added far more than enough perch space, and with freedom to pasture, adding 3 more, including a Welsummer rooster to keep the peace, should work without having to build an expansion! I wish I had one of those expandable nests, but will easily make do with the 2 my dad built. If my Light Brahma goes broody I’ll probably get an outside box for her to hatch some?

[@craigmatheson2736]

That's how many feet of run per chicken if they must be kept safe from predators?

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Size doesn't matter, it's the construction of the coop that will keep them safe from predators. Our coops will keep your flock safe at night from predators.

[@debhickman1586]

LOVE your coops! Do you ship them all over the country?

[@MJYouAreNotAlone1]

That is not nearly enough room. Mine has a huge and run and they run free in the backyard. Period.

[@indioloco6600]

How many doors can you have on a coup? Two, if there are four, it would be a sedan.

[@ChescoYT]

bad locks as raccoons can open them

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

We respectfully disagree with your opinion, we have never had a raccoon get into any of our coops and we have been building coops for over a decade and have them in every US state and some in Europe.

[@SemiHemiPoweredGaming]

So I'm looking to build a coop, and my local tractor supply sells the chicks in a "10 pack". My math isn't mathing right I suppose. Will a 4'x8' coop with a say 16'x8' run suffice for 10 chickens?

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

If you will be free ranging it will be fine. This page helps explains it better; carolinacoops.com/how-to-determine-how-many-chickens-per-coop/

[@tory464]

❤👍Great Info! I've been looking for the best spacing for a chicken ladder and ramp. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance ❤👍✌ love your product and workmanship!🇺🇸

[@nilssonpetersburg]

Lol!

[@trudyclay3478]

I saw another video that said 1 yd² per chicken.

[@HusniArsyah]

What an amazing coop... 😬

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

thank you.

[@centurione6489]

So ... 4x3 plus the nest area to house 4 chickens? What is that? A chicken mansion?

[@cackleberrycottage2340]

Wish I had one of your coops! Maybe someday. For now we have a 12' x 21' covered run with a 6' x6' raise coop inside the run. We don't have the room to free range, so we keep it to 12 hens or less. They seem to do very well with the space we have provided.

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Awsome!

[@angelenefrohmader6922]

Small small

[@gainzgainz2180]

Love your videos! What spacing do you recommend between roost bars? For instance say you had an 8 foot deep by 10 foot wide hen house, how many roost bars would you put in it? Thanks!

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Thank you. We position our roost bars so they are approximately equidistant from the front and back henhouse walls. So for a 6' (deep) and 10' (wide) henhouse, we put in three 10-foot roost bars. Hope that helps.

[@jemmamagnus-sh6pl]

how much do those chicken coops cost

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

You can see pricing and options on our website here: carolinacoops.com/chicken-coops/

[@patriciajohnsonson8639]

So this is an ad. I didn’t realize that.

[@ridingvenus]

It also depends on each chicken & how all get along.

[@tinamast6226]

My friends mom keeps her chickens in a way to small of a coop for the amount of chickens she has i think she has around 17 and even if i would tell her i don't think she would do anything because she is cheap and the coop is really gross they don't even have a roost to sleep on and they probably have mites and bugs its sad

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Yes, very sad. It's why we build coops the way we do, for the health and well being of the chickens.

[@coryshaw5693]

Wow for the price of one of these coops I built a 12x24 barn with a 12 to 8 foot lean-to roof. Just crazy how much people will spend to look cool

[@user-oo1dw6zi8q]

We built a 8x8x10 with a 6x6x16 run for just a couple grand based on some free online plans. Great diy project with a father in law or older kids.

[@va_bg]

I didn’t get the 30x1 part, how do you calculate how deep the bedding must be?

[@737smartin]

You didn't miss it. He didn't give a way to calculate it. 😕

[@joshuahoff1129]

? Can you go too big? i.e. have too much space

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Never. 😁

[@coryshaw5693]

Yes you can go to big if you live in an area that gets cold if it's to big you will have to heat the coop

[@garyhempel6316]

1600 sq feet hen house and 10 acres to free range. how many chickens can i have lol

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

all of them. 😁

[@randyzaffke7386]

great information

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

thank you.

[@VillageChickendraw]

I think five chickens are the best

[@dolinick]

ok

[@danielborbolla4677]

do you sell plans? Im from Mexico so i would have to make it myself

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

We don't sell our plans. We may do so in the future.

[@sidkeehasan8459]

Nice and informative video. Many Thanks!

[@beccahayes9638]

Is there a easy way to get underneath coop house to clean (i’m new at this)

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Hi. We don't see any reason to have to clean the run area at all. As long as you keep adding organic material like leaves, cut grass, etc, the chickens will till it up. We like keeping it simple. Thanks for watching.

[@HAOJIWANG-k6v]

travisscott

[@stephenreeves8297]

What kind of lumber is the coop made from?

[@robertyates5703]

According to what I’ve heard their coops are constructed out of Douglas fir.

[@delacruzjeffrey]

Really sound advice!!

[@LittleBozo]

That was really good info. Thanks brother

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Glad it was helpful!

[@atouchofherbs]

Great info. Thank you.

[@petertyson4036]

Amazing thanks mate

[@carolbrowning7532]

Beautiful coops

[@tomcollick8111]

what is the cost of the Carolina Coop?

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Our pricing and options can be found here on our website: carolinacoops.com/chicken-coops/

[@CroatianDude]

This is a very educational video my son loves your videos, I need to go to the toilet now and fart 💨💨💨

[@otrdriver5917]

My guess is all of them. You can absolutely get all your birds into the coup.

[@mathewputhumana8304]

How can we build a chicken coop in India in facsimile to your build quality?

[@ElmerFudd-q2i]

Nice, there is even room for my wife when she get out of line.

[@marionecula9771]

You are full of it. You try to sell your product. Please tell the saps that buy your coops after how many centuries they will recover their money , from the chicken eggs. But I like your talk smooth operator...

[@CoralHullforJesusChrist]

Never ever keep chicken in those kinds of boxes. They are not a component in an egg factory. They are forest dwelling, mulch picking free ranging birds with their own individual needs.

[@CarolinaCoopsVideos]

Thanks for your comment. Laying hens like to feel safe when they are laying, because they are very vulnerable then. We have found that our egg hutches with the individual nest boxes give hens a sense of security and a nice, safe, dark place to lay their eggs. And yes, many free range chickens will find a place to lay their eggs out under a bush. Our chicken coops are designed to encourage their instincts and we have thousands of happy customers and happy hens who appreciate our egg hutches. Our coops ultimately are designed to keep the chickens safe and healthy. Thanks for watching.

[@bryanvickers803]

Bahahaha

[@raulramos7561]

Welcome to the current world?