coop and run size

[fourculps]

I'm adopting 9 adult rhode island red hens and 1 rooster
how big does the coop and run need to be.. and how many nesting boxs do i need any info would be very much apprecated

 

[countryboy]

4 square foot per chicken inside the coop. 10 square feet per chicken inside the run. a little bigger is always better.8 foot x 8 foot coop would do nicely and the run 10 foot by 10 foot would work well i think.

 

[fourculps]

thanks so much for the info ...how far off the floor do nesting boxs need to be and the roosting poles...

 

[FutureChickenMan]

Quote:
nests 18-24 inches.
roosts depend on the breeds. Heavys (jersey giants) need roost lower so they don't break their legs, etc. But I've seen roosts 5' off the floor.

 

[patandchickens]

Three nesting boxes will do just fine for 9 hens (you might even get away with two, especially if they're generously sized).

Make sure the roosts are higher than the nest boxes, or the chickens will tend to sleep in the nestboxes and get them all pooey and you'll have pooey ucky eggs.

Have fun,

Pat

 

[livestock101]

I raise heavy breeds and have 2 rows of nest boxes stacked. Lowest row is 3 feet off the floor and 2nd row is 4 foot high. Initially, I had built them, starting at 18" off the floor and found that NO chickens would lay in the bottom boxes. I then raised them all and now find that most of the chickens lay in the top boxes (4 foot high).

I found that roosts stacked in a ladder fashion work well if you raise various breeds, as an earlier poster mentioned, some breeds need to or prefer to roost lower than others. I'd say most, if not all of my Rhode Island Reds are currently roosting on the 2 top roosts that are 4 1/2 foot high.