What size should my coop be?

[TanyaR]

I have 8 chickens and live in southern Louisiana where it gets pretty hot during the summer but also humid as well. I have no shade in my backyard either.
I have 3 Black Australorps , 3 RIR and 2 Buff Orpingtons .
I was trying to figure out how big to make it , some people say 2 square feet then some say 4 square feet per chicken . My chickens will have a 10 x 10 old dog kennel to run around in too that will connect to their coop to serve as their run . Might let them free range a little in the yard too if I can convince my husband they wont completely tear up all our grass since we do have a big backyard. So what do yall think , how big of a coop cuz I'm stumped here ..lol

 

[Jcbdc]

I have seen a number on this sight but it looks smaller than I would want! Remember you may fall in love with more chicks sometime so don't build too small. It gets WARM there but may get too cold in winner. Tale an old quilt and you can close off as much of the coop in winter as you need for them to stay warm. Also if your coop is raised you can cut wholes in the floor and cover the under side of the hole with hardware cloth this will let cooler air come into your coop and escape through the vents in your roof. Keep the cutouts close and plug the hole in the winter if needed. They should lie in the holls on the hardware cloth.

 

[Judy]

They don't need an enclosed coop in the south. They do, however, have to have shade, which you will need to provide somehow. Here is a thread that gives you the idea of the sort of shelter that works well in our climate:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/163417/please-show-me-your-hot-weather-coops/0_20

Also, there really isn't a hard and fast "good" answer to how much space. A lot depends on how much time you want to spend caring for them, and your style of chicken keeping. Here is a great discussion of this:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-much-room-do-chickens-need

NOTE: Edited to correct the second link -- sorry!