5 Chicken Coop + Run, Recommended Dimensions?

[Mother of Chaos]

I have an 8x15 aviary-type run with a Nestera coop perched on a 3’ high platform, 5 girls, and truly no expectations of flock expansion (adding more chickens) once I saw how much forage area is needed for them to thrive.

We are “yard-rangers”, as contrasted with free-rangers, and they spend essentially all daylight hours out of the run, except on days with terrible weather. This makes a difference when figuring how much space you need.

Other than occasional social-hierarchy pecks, we have a very peaceful flock, even though the coop is not quite 3x3, and the run is currently 24 sq ft per bird. It would be very, very different in a very, very bad way if they were penned all day in the run.

So access to more open areas, while still being able to go in the run and coop during the day, affects the math.

If there is no realistic option of letting them out during the day, do maximize the run space. You have no idea how wonderful it is to have a peaceful flock until you actually have one.

And until you experience chicken math, you have no idea of how powerful it is in overturning carefully-thought-out plans.

 

[NatJ]

Looking at my back yard schematics I planned for an 8x16 spot.

Could I use corrugated metal? Also, I wound up with a free rain barrel, but I have no gutters on my house. Would it be silly to roof over the run as well (maximizing square footage) and add gutters to collect rain to water my plants with from the coop?

Another option is to make an open air coop:
Make a covered run that fills the entire space. (Wire mesh on the sides, solid roof on the top.)
Put roosts at one end for sleeping, with partial walls of solid material to provide shelter from wind.
Put nests somewhere that rain will not blow in them either (probably the same sheltered area.)

That gives your chickens one big space, rather than dividing it into a coop and a separate run (with each one being smaller than the whole space.)

That idea is often called an "open air coop." In hot climates, it is very helpful to have most of the walls made of wire mesh instead of solid material. If you get wind in the winter, you can cover some walls with tarp to provide more shelter. That may or may not be needed, depending on how many other features of your property will already block wind. (Example: your house is a great big wind block, but may not be in the right place to shelter the coop.)

For this to work well, that covered run does need to be predator-proof. That generally means hardware cloth with 1/2" holes rather than flimsy chicken wire, and an "apron" of hardware cloth around the outside of the run to keep predators from digging under the fence. Watch out for gaps where the roof meets the sides, and around the doors.

Two examples of articles with pictures of open air coops:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/simple-open-air-coop.67987/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/open-air-coops.48177/

 

[ecbenson]

This is 100% personal opinion, but I like my run to be at least 10x20 for ANY number of chickens (even 2 or 3). Now, I'm a huge hypocrite, because my run is currently 9x18 (close enough?), but here's an example of what you can fit in that space.

Hi there! New chicken owner here, and my husband and I are currently designing a run to go with our coop. We’re thinking 10x20 for 8 chickens. We’re trying to build a budget friendly run with a roof. Could you tell me what materials are used for this run? TIA

 

[thecatumbrella]

Hi there! New chicken owner here, and my husband and I are currently designing a run to go with our coop. We’re thinking 10x20 for 8 chickens. We’re trying to build a budget friendly run with a roof. Could you tell me what materials are used for this run? TIA

Hi ecbenson! Welcome to the site!

Unfortunately, this is not a budget friendly run. My husband and I are carpentry ignorant and probably couldn't build a step stool, so we invested in an Omlet walk-in run. I will say it's held up very, very well for almost 3 years, through all sorts of weather, but it does need modifications to make the whole thing predator-resistant.

Whereabouts are you located? Do you have to contend with snow (like me)? An interesting alternative is something called a "Hoop Run" made from cattle panel. You can see the details and materials needed near the bottom of this coop build page.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, welcome to the forum! Glad you joined!

Hi there! New chicken owner here, and my husband and I are currently designing a run to go with our coop. We’re thinking 10x20 for 8 chickens. We’re trying to build a budget friendly run with a roof. Could you tell me what materials are used for this run? TIA

Where are you located? I have some interest in your country but also your weather. What extreme highs and low would you possibly see. Averages don't count, the extremes is where you get into trouble. If you modify your profile to show this information it will always be available. Some people are surprised at how much that can help in answering questions. Since you are using feet you are probably in the USA so knowing which state could be close enough.

Are you going to have high snow or ice loads? That will affect the needed strength of the roof and supports. In heavy snow country it can be beneficial to have a very steep roof so snow slides off. If your concern is rain you still need some slope for the water to run off but it doesn't have to be that steep. Slope it so the water runs away from the coop and run, not back into them.

What does your coop look like? I like to use one wall of the coop as a wall of the run. It can form a good wind block and provided shade. Is it elevated so the chickens can get under it? My coop is 12 feet wide, so is my run. That was personal preference but it was also a good way to firmly fix that end of the run.

How do you get from the coop to the run? Mine is ground level so I have a human door from the coop to the run plus a human door to just get in the run. So where will your doors or gates be?

How predator proof do you want your run? I made my coop predator proof so I could securely lock them up at night but the run was more predator resistant. I used 2" x 4" welded wire for the run which was a lot cheaper than 1/2" hardware cloth but it can allow snakes, rats, mice, and some weasels to get through. Luckily I've never had weasels but have had the others. But it stops bobcats, coyotes, foxes, dogs, mink, raccoons, skunks, and possum, which works for me.

I don't know what kind of run you will build, whether it is posts or a frame closely covered with wire or something else. Most places have sites like Craigslist in the USA where you can look for cheap or free material though you will probably have to haul it. Check out construction sites to see if they are throwing away material you can use. They often have materials used as construction aids that will not be used for the final building. Things like framing for concrete pours. Do you have a recycle place like "Habitat for Humanity" you can check for cheap materials? Does your state (or country) have an active thread in the "Where am I? Where are you!" section of this forum? Chat with your neighbors and see if they can recommend anything. Especially in milder climates I'd look for things like dog kennels, often 10' x 10' chain link.

If you are building it from purchased lumber, the cheapest standard sizes are usually in 4' or 8' dimensions. You can often save money and reduced cutting if you use these standard dimension. If you are buying wire look at the standard lengths of the wire you are buying, again to reduce waste or avoid having to purchase another roll. But if you are using recycled material consider the dimensions that you have.

Hopefully some of this will help you. Good luck and once again,