Coop and Run sizing question

[Amastacia]

I know this is one of the most asked questions around here, but there are so many specifics when figuring things out that i would like some personalized input.

i have had a flock for 6 years now, but the "fall" (yeah, the foot of snow on the ground suggests we missed that) we are planning on culling all of the old hens (all at least 4 years old) and starting fresh in the spring. part of this is that the coop we build 6 years ago is failing a bit. that being said, i am trying to figure out how big of a coop we should try to build to go with our new plans for flock size.

so, details:

• I live in SW Michigan. we have winters (usually) and up to lots of snow. thus, my hens will be cooped up much of the winter
• I will also be building a run for them (actually, the plan is two so i can swap them out to keep plants growing for the hens) that they will be able to access most days when there isn't snow.
• I plan to have 8-12 birds at a time. possibly more in the summer, but i don't plan to over-winter more than 12 hens at any time. they will be standard sized breeds, though not sure what exactly. Orpingtons are likely
• the coop will be built on a cement pad. the pad is about 10ftx10ft, which i'm fairly sure will be bigger than i need ;P
• i do want to be able to divide the coop to introduce new birds without just throwing them all together. the two runs will also be useful during this time, with each group having its own run.

is there any other information that would be useful in figuring this out? let me know and thanks for any input.

 

[Wezdin]

The only input i have is that i tried the two-run to let plants grow thing and it failed miserably. The hens ripped it all up within 3 days, not saying its impossible, just dint work for me

 

[123RedBeard]

If they are gonna be restricted to the coop only for months at a time ... a 10'X10' coop is kinda small for that many LF ... maybe you could cover another 10'X10' part of their run for winter or rainy days?

Two runs rotated can work ... but your gonna need to re-think the "standard answer" of "four sq ft per bird for coop, and 10 sq ft per bird for run" ... depending on your ground, and plants on it ... you may get away with 100 sq ft per bird for the run, then switch to an equal sized run every few days or a week ... but it could be twice that, depends on not just your ground and forage, but how much your chickens scratch (DIG!)

 

[aart]

-the coop will be built on a cement pad. the pad is about 10ftx10ft, which i'm fairly sure will be bigger than i need ;P
-i do want to be able to divide the coop to introduce new birds without just throwing them all together. the two runs will also be useful during this time, with each group having its own run.

10 x 10 isn't too big if you want to split it for integration,
the two runs will be good for that also.
You might even split off a third part to store your feed and such.
Much nicer to tend the birds under cover in SWMi.
Covering one or both runs would be nice too.