Coop for a beginner

[akokoza]

Hi BYC, my parents recently got 5 chicks (about 2-3 weeks old now) so I wanted to build a coop for them while I am home for the summer. I was wondering about how big a coop and how big a run 5 full grown chickens would require? Also, if anybody lives in really hot areas (southern California or Arizona) do you guys have any suggestions for keeping them cool during the summer months? Any particular building material that would be useful for insulation and what not. I hope to hear from all you knowledgeable people soon! Thanks!

 

[Heather J]

Your coop needs to be at least four square feet per bird, not counting nest boxes or roosts (unless they have banties, then it's less). If your parents are like most of us, they'll probably want to add more birds down the road, so be generous--make it 4x8 (that's the size of a sheet of plywood or OSB anyway--might as well be efficient). If it gets super hot, definitely put the coop/run in a shady area of the yard if at all possible. A lot of people on here put a fan in front of a couple of frozen bottles of water as an impromptu air conditioner in the coop. Hopefully someone else will have more/better information for you. Good luck!

 

[akokoza]

Thanks Heather, what about the minimum amount of room the chickens need for their run outside the coop?

 

[Alaskan]

run space is 10 square feet per bird.

For a hot climate you want LOTS of venting. You might be able to have full screen walls. Also, at a guess, some head room (so a tall coop instead of a tiny ark) would help too.

 

[chickenfanatic]

we use a water misting system for the heat we are in new mexico u can get them at walmart or home depot pretty cheap

 

[cmom]

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These are great posts. If you don't make the coop tall enough to walk in then I would raise it off the ground to make it easier to get into. I put my roosts over wire so the poop goes directly on the ground and my coop stays pretty clean. A little poops gets here and there but the vast majority goes on the ground where I can easily rake it out and shovel it up and into my compost. Also I would place the coop and part of the run in some shade. I live in Florids and it gets hot here too.