8x6 coop for 16 chickens?

[ZiaEggcelente]

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/

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/

I’m in southeast New Mexico. Open plains area with extreme weather and winds. Feeling slightly overwhelmed at times building from scratch but finding helpful tips here so thank you.

 

[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.

 

[Brooks_]

You might want to go to your state thread

I think that is best. From my understanding, that area of the country can be so vastly different within 50 miles, my knowledge is useless.

 

[ZiaEggcelente]

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.

Your article is very thorough and does give me ideas regarding ventilation etc. I have absolutely zero trees to speak of being that I’m in a desert and also on a new property however I have an 8x8 pump house I plan to utilize the east side of for this project. The east side slopes a bit to the east so I will need to look at the drainage as well. I’d like something off the ground however I suppose building something I can walk in is just as easy.. lots to consider. I’d like to completely shade my run with a paneling south fence and sloped roof to allow reprieve.

 

[3KillerBs]

I think that is best. From my understanding, that area of the country can be so vastly different within 50 miles, my knowledge is useless.

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

 

[Brooks_]

Your article is very thorough and does give me ideas regarding ventilation etc. I have absolutely zero trees to speak of being that I’m in a desert and also on a new property however I have an 8x8 pump house I plan to utilize the east side of for this project. The east side slopes a bit to the east so I will need to look at the drainage as well. I’d like something off the ground however I suppose building something I can walk in is just as easy.. lots to consider. I’d like to completely shade my run with a paneling south fence and sloped roof to allow reprieve.

Shade will be your friend, however you accomplish it. I can say that much.

 

[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.

 

[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

 

[BeefQuesoritto]

Looks like we're in a similar area. I have a prebuilt shed on property that's 4x9, and 12 chicks. So, I'm also violating the 4sq ft rule. I'm working with a college student budget, so I've consigned myself to working with what I have and having the run accessible 24/7.

I'm in the grasslands too, so I know what you're dealing with as far as wind. This is all hypothetical and hasn't been stress tested yet, but hey, it's something.

My run and shed is somewhat sheltered by a barn, but if you haven't got another structure handy, you might be able to provide a bit of windbreak on bad days with a tarp over 3 sides of the run. That's my plan, anyway. One of those 6 mil clear tarps that only gets put on during heavy winds, so they can still go out in relative peace. In order to deal with the fact that this is essentially a giant sail, I have 18" rebar spikes hammered in at each of the posts, so I can make sure the run doesn't fly off. The shed itself has earth auger anchors, like how they use for mobile homes, and it hasn't moved.

Over the run, I've got shade cloth. It's slightly permeable so the wind doesn't snag at it so bad as full tarps, and it works pretty well to keep the heat off. I have another one over my back patio, so I can actually sit outside during the summer without being burnt to a crisp. Over the top and down the west side a bit helps the best here.

A longer term solution is windbreak trees. I'm not sure if the forestry service is still selling them, so you may have to wait for december, but NM forestry sells them for less than a dollar each, and you can pick them up at your ag extension.

For the coop itself, I've seen a lot of people in hotter climates suggest open air coops. I've seen a lot with just 3 sides and a front made entirely of hardware cloth. Honestly, any search of "open air coop" on here gets interesting threads, but I most liked this one, and especially this post of a 3 sided coop that opens up into a run.

The Woods open air coop is a design I see mentioned a lot, too, and I've seen a couple designs here and there.

Personally, I'm trying to decide how many holes I can cut into my shed before it stops being structurally sound, haha.

Good luck!

Edit:
Oh yeah, and I'm feeding / watering in the run, not the coop. Not just to maximize sq ft, but also to avoid mess. My shed's a walk in, and I think I'd prefer that, anyway.

 

[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.