8x6 coop for 16 chickens?

[ZiaEggcelente]

I have 16 exactly. Is 8x6 an acceptable coop size? I don’t plan to grow but.. it does put me right at max. I have acreage but need to provide a run as well. Suggestions welcome

 

[aart]

I was thinking about 8x8 but wasn’t sure if it would be too deep to clean out?

Make the coop so you can walk into it, for a variety of reasons including cleaning.

We will free range when home only. It’s a predator heavy area

Just because you are home, even out in the yard, doesn't mean predators won't get them.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I have 16 birds currently. They have a 4x7 coop. Not bantam, not cramped, and not miserable. My management of them would be completely different than most people here. One is not better than another it's simply different.

Management style is not a one size fits all thing. Just like @KodiakChicken1909 said on the first page that run size makes a difference- it absolutely does. If you lock your birds in the coop some days then that makes a difference. If you plan to constantly integrate birds of differing temperament (breeds) it makes a difference. If you put feed and water in the coop. How many cocks you plan to have, what your climate is like and everything else that makes our situations different absolutely affects the needed size of a coop or how we ventilate it.

There is no one size fits all. If you were on a different forum they'd be giving you different "rules" that someone once said on that forum and has been repeated knee jerk style ever since. If you read state university agriculture recommendations the coop size needed is exactly half what is stated here. Just sayin'...

 

[ZiaEggcelente]

One of our members from the US Southwest should write an article about the basics of keeping chickens in that challenging environment.

Maybe I can after I figure it out lol

 

[nuthatched]

8x8 would be better if you can, that's 4sq feet a bird, which is better unless you live someplace really temperate

 

[3KillerBs]

I’d like something off the ground however I suppose building something I can walk in is just as easy.. lots to consider.

Those are not mutually exclusive.

In my area many sheds are put up on piers to protect them from termites and discourage rodents. Your chickens would love having that shaded ground to use. The trick would be making sure that there's no place under the coop that you can't access because they *will* lay an egg there, go broody there, get sick there, etc.

 

[McChooky]

My advice is make a predator proof run (covered in hardware cloth) if you're planning on raising chickens! Not only will it give give you peace of mind you won't have to lock your chickens up at night if its connected to a secure run!I started out with only 6 hens but have 11 now. Mine free range in a fenced yard but I don't let them out every day! IA couple of my hens roosted in their run all winter.

 

[neo71665]

Free ranging is run size and has nothing to do with coop size. 8x6 might work (pushing it) if they are bantam sized but not for full sized birds.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you? Climate matters, especially when it comes to housing.

8x6 is pushing the numbers very hard, especially if you're going to have anything inside the coop. 8x8 would be better and also easier to build with fewer cuts and less waste because building materials come in multiples of 4 feet.

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

IF you live in a climate where the chickens will have year-round access to a generous run from dawn to dusk without fail, you can probably skimp on the coop size without serious issues.

But if you live in a climate where their access to the run will be restricted by snow, high wind, etc. then you need more space in the coop.

Here's an excellent article on chickens' space needs that goes well beyond the generic numbers: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-much-room-do-chickens-need.66180/

 

[3KillerBs]

You might want to go to your state thread for the best-targeted advice, but here's my article on hot climate chicken-keeping.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

EXTREME ventilation will be required in your summer heat. Chickens tolerate cold very well as long as they're dry and out of the wind, but suffer in the heat.