Chicken Coop/Run, how big?

[Picklethequail]

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) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

8 hens

• 32 square feet in the coop. 4'x8' is approaching the limits for a non-walk-in coop even with the access door in the middle. 6'x6' should be walk-in because even the tallest chicken-keeper won't be able to reach the far wall.
• 8 feet of roost
• 80 square feet in the run. 8'x10' is a nice looking number but, remembering the common dimensions of lumber, a roomier 8'x12' is actually easier to build. 6'x14' looks good on paper but would require a lot of weird cuts.
• 8 square feet of ventilation.
• 2-3 nest boxes.

Remember, however, that these are minimums. There are a number of factors that might increase how much space is required and being subject to severe winters is one of them.

8x12 in the run, 6x6 in the coop, 8 ft. of roost, and what do you mean by ventilation? Like a section of the top that doesn't have a roof? I'm sorry im new to this. And everything is going to be 6 1/2 ft. tall.

 

[rosemarythyme]

8x12 in the run, 6x6 in the coop, 8 ft. of roost, and what do you mean by ventilation? Like a section of the top that doesn't have a roof? I'm sorry im new to this. And everything is going to be 6 1/2 ft. tall.

Ventilation: https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop.47774/?page=2

And if your dad is 6'1" and will be doing any work inside the coop at all (clean outs, maintenance) I'd suggest you go a lot taller, like 8'. He will very likely hit his head if the coop is 6'6" as you will have crossbeams, rafters, etc. plus bedding, which reduces overall interior height. Plus lumber generally comes in 8' increments, so no reason not to minimize cuts/maximize material use.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I have an 64 sq ft coop, a 200 sq ft run, and a 600ish sq ft chicken yard. In that, I have 12 chickens and 4 ducks. The coop is fine given my climate, but ths run and yard seem crowded.

I'm building an 80 sq ft coop, keeping the 200 sq ft run (is covered) and expanding the yard to 900sq ft. I'm hoping that'll do it.

My answer is always that you should build it bigger than you think.

 

[Shezadandy]

Make everything the biggest it can be in your situation. The shape of a run can help everyone get along. i.e. a square/rectangle run in my opinion is overrated. Having an "L" or "C" shaped run gives the "lower" birds - and there WILL be lower birds - areas where they can get out of the sight line of more dominant birds. You can easily accomplish this by building the run around your coop. Personally I block my birds from going UNDER the building because they absolutely will dig and dust bathe and make big craters- sometimes right around the supports for the coop.

 

[SpotTheCat]

• 1 linear foot of roost (3 meters),

I think you might be missing a small dot in front of the 3

 

[3KillerBs]

I've started to think more exponentially on space. 40 sf can and will work for four, but I'm not convinced that 150 sf will work for 15.

Socially, each individual bird a large flock in a large space has more ability to get away from other birds. But the sanitation needs remain the same.

8x12 in the run, 6x6 in the coop, 8 ft. of roost, and what do you mean by ventilation? Like a section of the top that doesn't have a roof? I'm sorry im new to this. And everything is going to be 6 1/2 ft. tall.

Ventilation is airflow -- the openings in the walls that permit fresh air to enter and foul air to exit. This photo is from an article on cattle barns, but the principle holds.

Have a look at my Brooder Coop, which has 16 square feet of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation plus another 10 feet of supplemental ventilation.

Building from scratch you can do a much prettier, less redneck job than my metal siding awnings.

Since you're subject to Nor'easter storms and other severe weather you might want to consider using a Monitor Roof or a functional cupola. My Little Monitor Coop article includes photos of how to frame a monitor.

Soffit and ridge venting also works well -- leaving the entire soffit open (covered with hardware cloth), and installing a ridge vent. But in areas with significant snow you lose the ridge vent. As an alternative, you can put vents at the tops of the gables.

Generous roof overhangs on all sides are your best friends when keeping rain and snow out of the coop while permitting airflow. Additionally, any windows you put in should be top-hinged so that they act as their own awnings.

I think you might be missing a small dot in front of the 3

Thank you. I'm adding metric conversions to my article-in-progress and missed that.

 

[Picklethequail]

Socially, each individual bird a large flock in a large space has more ability to get away from other birds. But the sanitation needs remain the same.



Ventilation is airflow -- the openings in the walls that permit fresh air to enter and foul air to exit. This photo is from an article on cattle barns, but the principle holds.

View attachment 2860998

Have a look at my Brooder Coop, which has 16 square feet of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation plus another 10 feet of supplemental ventilation.

Building from scratch you can do a much prettier, less redneck job than my metal siding awnings.

Since you're subject to Nor'easter storms and other severe weather you might want to consider using a Monitor Roof or a functional cupola. My Little Monitor Coop article includes photos of how to frame a monitor.

Soffit and ridge venting also works well -- leaving the entire soffit open (covered with hardware cloth), and installing a ridge vent. But in areas with significant snow you lose the ridge vent. As an alternative, you can put vents at the tops of the gables.

Generous roof overhangs on all sides are your best friends when keeping rain and snow out of the coop while permitting airflow. Additionally, any windows you put in should be top-hinged so that they act as their own awnings.



Thank you. I'm adding metric conversions to my article-in-progress and missed that.

Thank you i understand it better now.

 

[3KillerBs]

Thank you i understand it better now.

Glad I could help.

Ventilation is just as critical in severe winter areas as in severe summer areas because removing moisture is key to preventing frostbite.

 

[Lizzy733]

You want as large a space as you can afford to offer. More room will allow you to possibly do some planting, zone off areas for integration or reveg. - they won't work the soil bare as quickly and will have better enrichment experiences. You'll have room to add climbing frames, dust baths, covered areas.

I'll admit, my girls are a bit spoiled. They have 30sqm for 6 hens - so 5 sqm each in the run and they use all of this space at various points throughout the day.

If these are pets, give them the best you can from the start. They will appreciate whatever you provide.

 

[Shadrach]

Perhaps I could show the reality of run sizing by the currently recommended amount which is 10 square feet per chicken.
We often see runs and coops as recent projects and they look rather nice.
This is a 6 metre by 6 metre run; 36 square metres.
That's 387.5 square feet. Sounds big doesn't it?
According to the current often quoted recommendation and making the math easy lets say 387.5 divided by 30. This gives a bit over 12 square feet per chiicken if you keep 30 chickens in there.
This is what the run will look like after a few months even if you only kept 10 chickens in it.
If you've got the space and can afford the materials go for 10x the 10 square feet recommendation.