Chicken Coop Size

[Capto Veritas]

Hey guys, I have a question about my chicken coop. I am planning to have 3 chickens, and I wanted to know if my chicken coop is big enough. It has 3 nesting boxes, and a 76 inch run. I already have 1 chicken in the coop.

 

[MissE]

Short answer, no.

You could enclose the run, and make the entire structure into a coop, add more ventilation and then make a new run that extends the entire length of the coop, and six feet long.

Basically, the minimum is 4 square feet in the coop, 1 square foot of full time ventilation , 10 square feet in the run, and 1 foot of roost per bird.

 

[DobieLover]

Hey guys, I have a question about my chicken coop. I am planning to have 3 chickens, and I wanted to know if my chicken coop is big enough. It has 3 nesting boxes, and a 76 inch run. I already have 1 chicken in the coop.View attachment 2651944

Not if you want them happy and healthy it's not. Chickens have minimum space requirements for physical exercise, hygiene and behavioral health.
The typical minimum recommendations are 4 sq ft per bird in the coop and 10 (I like to quote 12+) sq ft in the run.
I personally have a predator proof run attached to the coop so the pop door is never closed and the run is basically an extension of the coop. The coop offers the current flock (19 LF and 4 bantam chickens) 4.2 sq ft per bird and on the high end it has housed at 3.2 sq ft per bird. I have much less roost time rumble at the 4.2 sq ft per bird.

 

[NatJ]

Hey guys, I have a question about my chicken coop. I am planning to have 3 chickens, and I wanted to know if my chicken coop is big enough. It has 3 nesting boxes, and a 76 inch run. I already have 1 chicken in the coop.View attachment 2651944

What size is the coop part? (I mean the enclosed part that is like a house, length and width, not counting the nest boxes.)

What size is the run? (The area with wire mesh sides, length and width both.)

What climate are you in? (Country helps, and if you're in the US it helps to give the state too.)

Bantam chickens or standard size ones?

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm afraid not. For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

4 square feet in the coop,​

10 square feet in the run,​

1 linear foot of roost,​

And 1 square foot of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.​

That means that for a flock of three you need at least 12 square feet in the coop -- 3'x4' -- and 30 square feet in the run -- 4'x8' or 5'x6' -- with 3 linear feet of roost (above the level of the nest boxes), and 3 square feet of ventilation.

A lot of people have converted their prefab coop-and-run-combinations as @MissE suggested. Here's a thread detailing one of these projects: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-renovated-prefab-coop.1440258/

 

[Capto Veritas]

Short answer, no.

You could enclose the run, and make the entire structure into a coop, add more ventilation and then make a new run that extends the entire length of the coop, and six feet long.

Basically, the minimum is 4 square feet in the coop, 1 square foot of full time ventilation , 10 square feet in the run, and 1 foot of roost per bird.

There is a full run, and the run is 76 x 36 inches. Way more then 10 square feet.

 

[3KillerBs]

There is a full run, and the run is 76 x 36 inches. Way more then 10 square feet.

That's 19 square feet -- not even enough run space for 2 adult, standard-sized hens.

As a general rule of thumb when considering the purchase of a coop, if the measurements are given in inches the coop is too small.

This is why so many people have done conversions such as in the thread I linked above. The area of the intended run makes a nice coop space for 4-5 chickens with the addition of an appropriate run.

 

[MissE]

There is a full run, and the run is 76 x 36 inches. Way more then 10 square feet.

The 10 feet is per bird in the run. If you enclosed the entire thing, it would be suitable for 4-5 birds as a coop if you don't remove the floor for the existing part of the coop and basically had 2 levels. For the run, you will need double the space of your current run if you want 3 chickens.

 

[aart]

Hey guys, I have a question about my chicken coop. I am planning to have 3 chickens, and I wanted to know if my chicken coop is big enough. It has 3 nesting boxes, and a 76 inch run. I already have 1 chicken in the coop.

Coop might be just big enough for 3 birds.
The run is not big enough for healthy happy birds.

Integrating more birds is going to be difficult, that works best with extra space.

The coop has no ventilation which could also be is a problem.

Don't feel too bad, many make this tiny coop error when first starting out.

What your chickeneering goals are and where you live can make a big difference in what kind of housing you use....but in general bigger is better.
Many will build a bigger coop and run, then use the tiny coop for isolation needs(broody hen, sick birds,etc)

Welcome to BYC! @Capto Veritas
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Auntiejessi3]

I know from experience those prefab coops are terrible and way too small! I started off with one for 3 chickens and they were crammed in there, and for what they cost(spent over $400 on mine) you could build something way nicer