What are the benefits of big coops?

[JuliaSunshine]

I'm building a run and a coop again and hoping third time's a charm.
The new covered 12'X22' run will be completely predator proof with hardware cloth and the chickens will have access 24/7 to the run from the coop.
It's pretty mild in the winter here, usually around 40F. The lowest was 10F and it's very rare.
I have 9 hens and might have up to 20 in the future but more likely 15 in winter.
I know you need 4 square feet per bird in a coop but does that rule apply when they can access a secure run all the time? The coop's sides can be covered with clear plastic to block wind.
I think they'll use the coop mainly for sleeping. They will have a free range space outside the run as well.
I was thinking of building a 12'X8' coop, raised 18"off the ground, in the run with a wall splitting the coop in half so they'll be using the half 6'X8' for sleeping and the other half will be used by occasional injured or broody chickens and these guys will have a seperate run space. I'll also raise handful of chicks once a year in there.
When I don't have any of those, this space can be open to the chickens to come in and hang out even though I think they'll usually prefer being outside.
But I'm wondering if it will be okay to build a smaller coop like 12X6, which will make their sleeping space 6x6 but it'll add more space to their run.
Or will it be better making the sleeping area bigger?
What are benefits of building a big space for sleeping?

 

[K0k0shka]

You'll never regret having a coop that's "too big". It's always better to go big than small! I would not recommend going below the 4 square feet minimum. You'll come to regret it sooner or later. Lots of people try to justify tiny coops with "they'll only sleep and lay there" or "they have a very nice run" etc. And while that may be true most of the time, there will be a time when you'll wish you had more space in the coop. Especially if you want to add more birds in the future. There are high stress/drama situations when you just need more space. Like hatching chicks, adding new chickens that need integration, isolating sick/injured chickens, or just any normal setting that involves more than one generation. The moment you introduce new birds into a flock, the drama skyrockets, and any flock that has more than one generation of chickens in it automatically has more drama than a flock of peers. There will be squabbling, chasing, fighting, for everything - for best sleeping spots, for the feeder(s), for nesting boxes (even if you give them lots, they will always have THAT one that everybody wants!). When that drama unfolds at insufficient space, it makes everything worse and invites more conflict than if they had more space. If something were to happen to your run, like a storm brings it down, tree limb falls on it, bear wrecks it, etc. and you need to lock the chickens into the coop temporarily, even just for a day or a few hours, they need to have enough space in there to not be stepping on each other, getting into each other's personal space and fighting. Chickens really don't like others being in their personal space, and some of them can guard that space quite aggressively, especially if lower ranking birds are involved. And last but not least, the higher the density of chickens in an enclosed space, the faster it will get dirty and smelly, and the more upkeep and ventilation you'll need.

Bottom line is, the minimum recommendations (for both in the coop and out in the run) are there for a reason. If you run into a situation where you may not have enough square footage, and need to decide whether to make the coop small to give more space to the run, or vice versa, the best decision is neither - it's better to just not add any more chickens.

 

[jthornton]

Build a coop that you fit in comfortably and the chickens will be happy you did. I have one raised coop and that was a huge mistake because I can't get under the coop unless I'm doing a belly crawl so cleaning, getting a hen out is a problem. My other coop is 1/2 of a shed and it's much easier to keep clean.

JT

 

[JuliaSunshine]

You'll never regret having a coop that's "too big". It's always better to go big than small! I would not recommend going below the 4 square feet minimum. You'll come to regret it sooner or later. Lots of people try to justify tiny coops with "they'll only sleep and lay there" or "they have a very nice run" etc. And while that may be true most of the time, there will be a time when you'll wish you had more space in the coop. Especially if you want to add more birds in the future. There are high stress/drama situations when you just need more space. Like hatching chicks, adding new chickens that need integration, isolating sick/injured chickens, or just any normal setting that involves more than one generation. The moment you introduce new birds into a flock, the drama skyrockets, and any flock that has more than one generation of chickens in it automatically has more drama than a flock of peers. There will be squabbling, chasing, fighting, for everything - for best sleeping spots, for the feeder(s), for nesting boxes (even if you give them lots, they will always have THAT one that everybody wants!). When that drama unfolds at insufficient space, it makes everything worse and invites more conflict than if they had more space. If something were to happen to your run, like a storm brings it down, tree limb falls on it, bear wrecks it, etc. and you need to lock the chickens into the coop temporarily, even just for a day or a few hours, they need to have enough space in there to not be stepping on each other, getting into each other's personal space and fighting. Chickens really don't like others being in their personal space, and some of them can guard that space quite aggressively, especially if lower ranking birds are involved. And last but not least, the higher the density of chickens in an enclosed space, the faster it will get dirty and smelly, and the more upkeep and ventilation you'll need.

Bottom line is, the minimum recommendations (for both in the coop and out in the run) are there for a reason. If you run into a situation where you may not have enough square footage, and need to decide whether to make the coop small to give more space to the run, or vice versa, the best decision is neither - it's better to just not add any more chickens.

Thank you very much for the detailed explanation with many excellent points.
Maybe I'll think about splitting the 12X8 coop into 8X8 for sleeping and 4X8 for occasional separation needs.
I have 2 more coops in different areas that I can use to keep some separated if necessary.

 

[JuliaSunshine]

Build a coop that you fit in comfortably and the chickens will be happy you did. I have one raised coop and that was a huge mistake because I can't get under the coop unless I'm doing a belly crawl so cleaning, getting a hen out is a problem. My other coop is 1/2 of a shed and it's much easier to keep clean.

JT

The new coop will be only 1.5' raised from the ground to give the chickens to hide and enjoy dust bath in the summer. It'll be a walk-in and I don't need to get under it.
My second one is not a walk-in and it's so hard to grab a chicken from there when I need to.
Thank you for sharing your experience.

 

[mowin]

The new coop will be only 1.5' raised from the ground to give the chickens to hide and enjoy dust bath in the summer. It'll be a walk-in and I don't need to get under it.
My second one is not a walk-in and it's so hard to grab a chicken from there when I need to.
Thank you for sharing your experience.

The problem is, you eventually will need to get under the coop. Sick or injured hen. At some point, you will have a hen laying eggs under there.

You mentioned a completely predator proof run, is part of it, or all going to covered to keep the rain out? If so you can establish dust baths there. If you're also free ranging, they will make dust baths somewhere. My gals rarely used the dust baths I made for them. They always made their own, and not in the run.

 

[ForFlocksSake]

we are working on expanding what we have right now, but we sort of go by the same concept you mentioned. Im in north Florida. There is never a reason for the chickens to be contained to their coop other than overnight. The auto door opens at the very first sign of light and they are free to roam 200 square feet of their secure run. 64 square feet of the run is covered for rain, though they tend to prefer to galavant in the uncovered area when it’s wet. But I guess I consider the covered area part of the coop? I’m going more by the roosting space in the coop. Right now I have 5 laying pullets living in a rather small coop without issues. We are currently integrating 4 more pullets, but they aren’t sleeping in the coop just yet. there will be 3 roosting bars in the new coop, each 5 feet long separated by 18 inches between. That gives each bird lots of roosting space and options. The coop is approximately 25 square feet ( not counting the nesting boxes which hang off the side). We have lots of space and do plan to add even more run space in the future. The coop can easily be modified if we find issues with the size or add more (likely). But we have gotten by with the small coop we have and 5 bigger girls without any trouble. They really do just go inside as it gets dark and come right out as soon as there is light.

I know it’s not what’s recommended here, but as of now it’s working for us. And if it doesn’t we’ll just buy more supplies and add on

 

[JuliaSunshine]

The problem is, you eventually will need to get under the coop. Sick or injured hen. At some point, you will have a hen laying eggs under there.

You mentioned a completely predator proof run, is part of it, or all going to covered to keep the rain out? If so you can establish dust baths there. If you're also free ranging, they will make dust baths somewhere. My gals rarely used the dust baths I made for them. They always made their own, and not in the run.

My chickens enjoyed hiding and dust bathing under a small 8'x12' building while free ranging in the summer so I thought I'd recreate it under the coop.
Also they use the dust baths I made with a rubber bin, kitty pool and wheelbarrow in the run or outside. Maybe because it's hard to find dry spots here in PNW except in the summer.
But you have a point about them laying eggs under the coop. I remember wondering if they were laying under the building or not.
I'll take that into consideration. Thank you.

 

[JuliaSunshine]

we are working on expanding what we have right now, but we sort of go by the same concept you mentioned. Im in north Florida. There is never a reason for the chickens to be contained to their coop other than overnight. The auto door opens at the very first sign of light and they are free to roam 200 square feet of their secure run. 64 square feet of the run is covered for rain, though they tend to prefer to galavant in the uncovered area when it’s wet. But I guess I consider the covered area part of the coop? I’m going more by the roosting space in the coop. Right now I have 5 laying pullets living in a rather small coop without issues. We are currently integrating 4 more pullets, but they aren’t sleeping in the coop just yet. there will be 3 roosting bars in the new coop, each 5 feet long separated by 18 inches between. That gives each bird lots of roosting space and options. The coop is approximately 25 square feet ( not counting the nesting boxes which hang off the side). We have lots of space and do plan to add even more run space in the future. The coop can easily be modified if we find issues with the size or add more (likely). But we have gotten by with the small coop we have and 5 bigger girls without any trouble. They really do just go inside as it gets dark and come right out as soon as there is light.

I know it’s not what’s recommended here, but as of now it’s working for us. And if it doesn’t we’ll just buy more supplies and add on

Thank you for sharing. I also had more chickens than recommended in a small coop without much problem in the summer.
I guess the bigger the coop the better you're prepared for emergencies or special situations.
But I don't want to have a big coop where I have to run around and around to grab a chicken that needs attention. My chickens are all sneaky little buggers that come near me only for treats and safety and run away from me like I'm a monster if I try to catch them.
Anyways, I'll think about the possibility to add on as you mentioned.

 

[aart]

I guess the bigger the coop the better you're prepared for emergencies or special situations.

That's might be the biggest pro, when you don't have a harsh climate to deal with.

I built my coop with 2 people doors and a temporary wall to put up during hatching season, later adding a pop door and a separate run. It worked very well, except at 4' wide(with a 1' poop board/roost) it was a bit tight at times.

But I don't want to have a big coop where I have to run around and around to grab a chicken that needs attention.

I just grab them off the roost after dark....I don't chase chickens.