Coop Question: Size

[Chica Lady]

I have 2 grown chickens and 7 chicks. I would like to make one coop. How big do I need to make the coop? Also, the chicks are two weeks old now. When will they need to go outside?

 

[Judy]

They can go outside in a few weeks -- it depends on the weather and your setup -- but you'll probably need to keep them separate from the grown chickens til they are about the same size.

You don't need much of a coop in the south. To them, it never gets cold here -- but it does get awfully hot, even enough to kill them without good air movement, lots of water, lots of breeze and shade. I'll give you a link to some coop ideas for this climate, and a great post (#8) about space. The truth is, the "old timers" where I live just build a pen, weigh down a sheet of plywood on the top, and call it a chicken yard. Kind of rough for them when it's raining, and not much protection to keep the feed dry, but a three sided coop facing the right direction is fine.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/163417/please-show-me-your-hot-weather-coops

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/533672/will-my-run-be-large-enough#post_6815985