Brand new!

[casadezorola]

Hello all! Brand new here!

Just paid for my 8 chicks today (I pick them up into weeks!!)

5 different breeds ranging from Amerucanas to wyandottes.

What are your suggestions on coop size and run size? I've read everything from 2 sq ft per chicken to 10 sq ft.

They will be in a box with heat lamp, etc in my garage for the forst two months, etc.

I just want first hand info instead of Google!

Thank you all!

Teddi

 

[SkyWorld]

The bigger the better and a good size run to keep them safe if there are predators around during the day. Get going on building something because those chicks will grow fast and you be busy taking care of them too. The coop site has sooo much to work from and if I were you I would build a medium to large size coop.(6'x 5'x 4' or bigger, which would be better.) Have fun and enjoy your new chicken life.

P.S.

 

[Alabama Jack]

The trending advice is 4 sq feet per chicken of coop space and 10 sq feet per chicken of run space.New to this but doing a lot of reading.

Plan on at least 1.5 to 2 sq feet per chick in the brooder. I built mine at 1 sq foot per chicken and they're 3 weeks old and ready for more space.

 

[aart]

The trending advice is 4 sq feet per chicken of coop space and 10 sq feet per chicken of run space.New to this but doing a lot of reading.

Plan on at least 1.5 to 2 sq feet per chick in the brooder. I built mine at 1 sq foot per chicken and they're 3 weeks old and ready for more space.

Absolute minimum.....depending on your climate, my climate most don't want to go out of coop in snow so bigger is better.

Good point on the brooder size Jack!

 

[casadezorola]

Thanks everyone!

We are in sunny Southern California and it is supposed to be in the upper to mid 70's all month. I will still be keeping them indoors until at least 12-16 weeks, depending on individual feather development!

Another question: 6' or 3' foot run height? Do you prefer to be able to walk in to clean the run?

 

[SkyWorld]

You will want to walk in to it to clean it and if you decide to build a perching palace that will make your chickens a bit more happy.

 

[aart]

I prefer both coop and run to be walk in, you should have easy access to everywhere a chicken would normally be.
I'm too crippled up to be crawling anywhere, and even if I could move better I wouldn't want to crawl thru chicken poop!

 

[RJSorensen]

Just want to add my +1 to the walk in group, you will enjoy the freedom this will provide you, for a much longer period of time, than the trouble/cost to make it so. With chickens as I suppose with all birds, bigger is almost always better. So if you do not need to limit yourself, for some reason, build with an eye toward the future, new chicks are always just one year away… at some point you may wish for more.

Best to you and your birds,

RJ

 

[BrendaJ]

Hello from Oregon & welcome to BYC - Great advice above. You should also check out the learning center tabs too. So much amazing info on this site. Best of luck