Building new coop

[RobnCj13]

We will be moving our 40 hens from the barn to a coop this spring. Looking for advice on how big of a coop to build to house 40-50 hens.

 

[cnicho05]

Hello,

The average recommended size for a flock this large is 4 square feet/per chicken inside the coop and 10 square feet/per chicken within the run. When looking at a flock of your size I would always recommend you calculate this average based on the largest number of birds you plan on owning (as it''s better to have more room than not enough).

So based on this you would require a minimum of 200 square feet (20'x10' Coop) and a minimum of 500 square feet for the run (25'x20' Run) with ample areas to roost in both the run and coop.

I would suggest, however, that you consider a much larger size for the chicken run you will need. From my experience, the larger the run (in ratio with the number of chickens) is easier to maintain and clean. Problems which arise in a tight chicken run become difficult in a short period of time. On the other hand, the same problems in a larger area are easier to resolve and present them self much less often.

Since you will need such a large area you will want to consider designing your own custom coop/run to save money. Prefabricated chicken coops in this size oftentimes cost in excess of $1,500.00...while you can rather build a basic coop for about $300.00 or less.

Best of luck...

 

[RobnCj13]

Thank you! This is very helpful!!!

 

[aart]

The 4/10 rule is a bare minimum IMO......I'd almost double it for the coop, especially if you live in a climate where the birds may be confined to the coop due to winter weather.

Not too cold or snowy(33F no wind and less than an inch) today....and they're all in the coop.

 

[blucoondawg]

I don't really buy into the square footage rules. I currently have 46 chickens in a 12x12 coop and a 12x24 run which they refuse to use in winter. I definitely wouldn't go smaller than 12x12 but my chickens get along fine in it. It will depend on your chickens too you will have issues if you have 4 or 5 roosters in there all winter. All hens with a rooster or 2 works for me, I also let them range in the yard in the warm months

 

[cnicho05]

If the space is available you could always let them free-range throughout a section of your property. If you want to keep them confined you can use fencing like that used for "snow fencing"...as it is cheap and easy to install. I've seen black, clear and white or orange sold at my local hardware store in sections which are 5' tall x 50' long (a few of these and you could open a large space)...