Coop and run size

[streeteurovw]

Purchased my first 10 chickens! Super excited to start this journey. We are planning to build our own coop and run. Trying to determine what will be the best size for them. I have a mix of chickens. Some bantam, RIR and some Easter eggers. I was thinking 30sq ft for the coop and 50sq ft for the run. Or is this to big?

 

[woodworm]

Probably too small. I know sizes are different for bantams, but a very general rule is 4sq ft per hen in the coop and 10sq ft per hen in the run.

Bigger is better

 

[Sally PB]

Firstly, Welcome to BYC!

Secondly, "I wish I'd made my coop/run smaller," said NOBODY, EVER!

Yes, bigger is better. Space gives you many options. Crowding can lead to behavioral issues that are hard to deal with.

Where in the world are you located, @streeteurovw? We can help you better if we know that. Climate matters a lot. What works for me in Michigan might not work for you. Also, if you're outside the US, it helps to know, so that we tailor advice to what you can get in your country.

The 4 sf in the coop and 10 sf in the run should be thought of as the minimum. Also plan for 1 linear foot of roost space per chicken, and 1 sf of ventilation per chicken that is open* 24/7/365.

Space and ventilation are probably the two biggest concerns for building a coop.

*Open = covered with hardware cloth to keep out predators.

There are a lot of great coop builds documented in articles. There are lots of very talented people here on BYC who can help you through a build, if you have questions. And when you have questions (you will), feel free to post and ask! We were all new to this at one point. The pool of knowledge here is wide and deep.

 

[streeteurovw]

Thank you, I am also from Michigan. I have been trying to do as much research as I can to make sure I am prepared for this exciting journey! Just been stuck on the coop build and how I will want it.

 

[Acre4Me]

Cold, wet, windy, snow. All things you will deal with.

So, make a coop and run with your weather in mind. You will also expand and contract your flock now and again. Plan for up to 16-20 bc this may occur, even if only for a few months. We overlap chickens - we get new in Feb, get rid of in Oct/Nov depending on age, bird, plans for next year. My kid shows chickens in 4H, so the categories and rules for that do impact our flock decisions. We like to get the great egg laying months to our benefit, so don’t sell until the fall, and keep several chickens and at least one male over winter. We have 4 from original flock we’ve promised can stay until they die, so that is also a part of our plan (whether they lay eggs or not).

Ventilation: keep eaves open and elevated above the coop walls-easy way to get year round ventilation above head of the chickens. Roof vents, helpful, but if you do a single slant roof, might not need that. Don’t rely on on windows bc in the winter you will close them at times. If you add windows and want them open much of the year, place them away from the roosts, or where the roosting chickens won’t be in a draft.

Wet/rain/runoff: an issue? Make sure it’s not. Otherwise dig ditch, build berm, etc. elevate the coop: we did this, ours is an elevated walk-in coop that is elevated 2.5 feet above the ground, and it was an excellent choice for us.

Ice/ frozen doors: do yourself a favor and make sure to build in a decent overhang or all out 3-6’ of roof over your entry door. Don't have it face your predominant winter wind direction.

Good luck! Enjoy your chicks!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, welcome to the forum from Louisiana. Glad you joined.

You can follow the link in my signature below to get some of my thoughts on room for chickens. Some of that might help explain why I make some of my comments. To me it's not square feet per chicken, it's building something you can use.

10 chickens in Michigan. With those winters your chickens will be restricted to the coop only unless you do things to the run to make that accessible. That means keep snow and wind out. I don't look at the coop or run in isolation but look at them as your space system. If both are available they are both available. In winter in Michigan it's likely only the coop will be at least part of the time. So a little extra room in the coop is a good thing.

Is 10 what you should be designing for? Now is the time to build for what you plan to eventually have.

For 10 chickens I'd go with minimum of a 6' x 8' walk-in coop. You need to be able to reach everywhere inside the coop for several reasons. You might be able to design something suitable where you could do that with 8 chickens but anything more and it gets hard.

If you are buying building materials the less expensive sizes usually have 4' or 8' dimensions. You can reduce cutting and waste if you design around those dimensions. A 6' dimension isn't horrible since you can split 4' panels and cut-offs can be used for other things, like building nests. The wider your roof span the larger and more expensive the roof support needs to be. You want a sloped roof so rainwater runs off of it, let alone snow sliding off. Roof overhang helps you provide ventilation. A coop 6' wide gives you room to work in there comfortably. Your comfort and convenience is as important as anything else you do for the chickens. The easier it is for you to take care of them the better off they will be. For smaller walk-in coops a 6' width isn't horrible.

How do you plan to build the run? Will it be totally enclosed with a roof and predator proof or will it be predator resistant, say a fence and no roof. If it is roofed will you use solid panels so it needs to be sloped or just open wire for predator protection? Building a structure with a sloped roof is quite a bit different from putting up fence posts and stringing wire. If you are building a structure as a run the economical lengths of wood may be a deciding factor. If you are stringing wire the length of wire on a roll may be worth looking at.

I don't have any hard and fast suggestions as to how big the run needs to be. I certainly do not go by square feet per bird. I suggest you make it as big as you reasonably can considering space available and your construction methods. I find the tighter I pack them, coop or run, the more behavioral problems I have to deal with, the harder I have to work, and the less flexibility I have to deal with things that come up. I value flexibility more than the others, things do come up and with flexibility I stress less about solving them.

 

[Sally PB]

If you add windows and want them open much of the year, place them away from the roosts, or where the roosting chickens won’t be in a draft.

Another thing about windows... If they are hinged at the top, they form their own awning, and can be open just about all the time, even if it's raining or snowing. Maybe not wide open, but even a little bit can help the air flow. Cover the opening with hardware cloth so the window can be wide open in the summer.

Be sure to stop by the Michigan thread too.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/michigan-thread-all-are-welcome.697050/page-5296

We're having a picnic/potluck on June 25. It's in the Lansing area; can't remember exactly where. You are very welcome to join us!