Coop Design Math Question

[The_Warm_Canuck]

Hello and first post!

So I'm planning my coop right now. I bought the plans off of Etsy (pic below) but will be heavily modifying the design to suit my needs. I'd like to have around 8 chickens. The dimensions of my coop will be 7' x 4', with 3-4 nesting boxes.

Now my biggest question is about the run calculations. The coop will be raised of the ground by around 2', so the space under will also be used for the run. Do I include the 7' x 4' under the coop into my run calculation? I'm planning the external run to be 8' x 8' but if I'm not to include the space under the coop, I understand that I'll need to make it around 8' x 10' to accommodate 8 chickens.

 

[KYAS3516]

Good Question! In our experience, the square footage per bird is based on the parameter so you're totally safe! Love the design; hope you post your final pictures.

 

[DobieLover]

Make the run larger than 8x8. Trust me. More space is ALWAYS better. You want to be able to have "clutter" in the run for the birds as well. You need to be able to move around in there.
You also don't need 3-4 nest boxes for 8 birds. Two would be plenty.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, welcome to the forum from Louisiana, glad you joined.

For 8 hens, two nesting boxes should be plenty. With that design though I don't see any benefits to reducing the number unless you can save some money on hardware. You don't gain usable room by eliminating a nest or two.

I'm not one that blindly believes in those space requirement numbers you see all over this forum. I understand you need some general guidelines when you are starting out and those guidelines will keep most people out of trouble in many circumstances but different things control how much room is a good idea. You probably need more room if you have the big Jersey Giants than you would if you have tiny D'Uccles. You may need more room in February on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland than you would on the Pacific coast of Panama. Just a couple of examples, there are many others. You can follow the link in my signature to get some of my thoughts on how much room you need and why you need it.

Where are you? Just a general location so we understand your climate could be really helpful in this. Location is important in a lot of different things. If you modify your profile to show general location it is always available.

The guidelines of 4 square feet in the coop with 10 square feet in the run per chicken are set up with a flock of all hens or hens and one rooster that are fully integrated in a climate where they can pretty much be outside all day every day. That will keep most people out of trouble most of the time. For many, it is overkill, many can and do get by with 3 square feet in the coop. But for some people, four is not enough. If your weather does not allow the chickens to be outside then the room in the run may as well not exist at that time. Each situation is different.

I could type a lot more on that but it could be totally unnecessary. Where are you located? What kind of climate do you have?

Your flock make-up you have and how you manage them makes a difference. If you integrate new chickens or have broody hens raise chicks with the flock you need more room. There are ways around most of these but that is extra management or additional construction.

In general, I find the more I crowd them the more behavioral problems I have to deal with, the harder I have to work, and the less flexibility I have to deal with issues that come up. I value flexibility more than the others. In general, I'm in favor of providing as much room as you reasonably can, but I don't advocate wasting money.

If you are on the Pacific coast of Panama the space you are offering should work as long as they have shade. On the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, we probably need to chat.

 

[The_Warm_Canuck]

Hi, welcome to the forum from Louisiana, glad you joined.

For 8 hens, two nesting boxes should be plenty. With that design though I don't see any benefits to reducing the number unless you can save some money on hardware. You don't gain usable room by eliminating a nest or two.

I'm not one that blindly believes in those space requirement numbers you see all over this forum. I understand you need some general guidelines when you are starting out and those guidelines will keep most people out of trouble in many circumstances but different things control how much room is a good idea. You probably need more room if you have the big Jersey Giants than you would if you have tiny D'Uccles. You may need more room in February on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland than you would on the Pacific coast of Panama. Just a couple of examples, there are many others. You can follow the link in my signature to get some of my thoughts on how much room you need and why you need it.

Where are you? Just a general location so we understand your climate could be really helpful in this. Location is important in a lot of different things. If you modify your profile to show general location it is always available.

The guidelines of 4 square feet in the coop with 10 square feet in the run per chicken are set up with a flock of all hens or hens and one rooster that are fully integrated in a climate where they can pretty much be outside all day every day. That will keep most people out of trouble most of the time. For many, it is overkill, many can and do get by with 3 square feet in the coop. But for some people, four is not enough. If your weather does not allow the chickens to be outside then the room in the run may as well not exist at that time. Each situation is different.

I could type a lot more on that but it could be totally unnecessary. Where are you located? What kind of climate do you have?

Your flock make-up you have and how you manage them makes a difference. If you integrate new chickens or have broody hens raise chicks with the flock you need more room. There are ways around most of these but that is extra management or additional construction.

In general, I find the more I crowd them the more behavioral problems I have to deal with, the harder I have to work, and the less flexibility I have to deal with issues that come up. I value flexibility more than the others. In general, I'm in favor of providing as much room as you reasonably can, but I don't advocate wasting money.

If you are on the Pacific coast of Panama the space you are offering should work as long as they have shade. On the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, we probably need to chat.

Thanks for the detailed response!

I'm in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. Winters arn't too bad here in comparison to the central and east coast, or even Ottawa or Toronto areas. We're across from a large island on Lake Ontario, so we don't get the lake effect like other towns along the lake. We have a bit of warmer micro climate in the winter.

I don't plan on having a rooster.

The coop and run will have a roof but will not be shaded.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thanks. You are still going to get days where the snow will keep them inside. Also they do not like a cold wind. Pure cold isn't that much of a problem until you get to around -30 C (-20 F) but a wind even above freezing will keep them inside. If you are lucky with their personalities you may be OK with 8 locked inside that 4x7 area like that but I would not want to try it. I think the odds are against you. I'd be willing to try it with 5 or maybe 6 chickens in winter.

Many people in climates like that use tarps or use plastic to keep snow from blowing in the run and to keep wind out.

 

[The_Warm_Canuck]

Thanks. You are still going to get days where the snow will keep them inside. Also they do not like a cold wind. Pure cold isn't that much of a problem until you get to around -30 C (-20 F) but a wind even above freezing will keep them inside. If you are lucky with their personalities you may be OK with 8 locked inside that 4x7 area like that but I would not want to try it. I think the odds are against you. I'd be willing to try it with 5 or maybe 6 chickens in winter.

Many people in climates like that use tarps or use plastic to keep snow from blowing in the run and to keep wind out.

Yes, I'm planning on putting plastic up on the walls of the run, in the winter.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Just a suggestion, but instead of making the coop 7x4, why not make it 8x4 and utilize all your wood. Cute little design!

 

[The_Warm_Canuck]

Just a suggestion, but instead of making the coop 7x4, why not make it 8x4 and utilize all your wood. Cute little design!

The coop dimensions will be 8 x 4, but the back side will be the nesting boxes taking up the 1 foot. So I'm not including that in my calculation. I don't want to have to buy another sheet of plywood just for a foot.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

The coop dimensions will be 8 x 4, but the back side will be the nesting boxes taking up the 1 foot. So I'm not including that in my calculation. I don't want to have to buy another sheet of plywood just for a foot.

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