A couple of quick coop questions...

[bruiserbee]

I will be getting 25 Buff Orpington chicks in early June. We will be keeping about 6 for layers and the rest will be for meat.
I have an 8 x 14' shed that I would like to turn into a double coop.
If I wall off a 4 X 8 section to use for the layers, will the remaining 8' x 10' space be large enough to raise 20 to 25 chicks to maturity?
Also, how large of a run is recommended for the layers? I am thinking 8' x 20' for the meat birds but not sure about the layers.
Is insulating the coop a good idea? In the winter it can get to -30 Celsius.

Thanks.

 

[chixcoop]

I will be getting 25 Buff Orpington chicks in early June. We will be keeping about 6 for layers and the rest will be for meat.
I have an 8 x 14' shed that I would like to turn into a double coop.
If I wall off a 4 X 8 section to use for the layers, will the remaining 8' x 10' space be large enough to raise 20 to 25 chicks to maturity?
Also, how large of a run is recommended for the layers? I am thinking 8' x 20' for the meat birds but not sure about the layers.
Is insulating the coop a good idea? In the winter it can get to -30 Celsius.

Thanks.

A rule of thumb is
4 Feet per bird on inside (coop)
10 Feet per bird on outside (run)
so...
25 chickens=100 ft sq inside and 250 ft sq outside.
You have 112 ft sq. on the inside so its fine there
however, 160 ft sq for the outside is a little too small. I would bump it out to a 10x30 (or 10x25) if that is possible. It is always nice to have a large run than what you are planning for. (extra chickens?

)

Anyways, your inside area looks good, but the outside could be a tad bigger.
Its good to realize these things BEFORE construction! (personal experience)