Coop size question

[becky8813]

Hi all. I have a quick question. We’ve changed our setup, demolished an old coop and are preparing to construct a new one. We are getting in 10 layer chicks. The girls will have a 10x20 enclosed run and an exterior coop. The coop itself will be 6x4 plus 4 12x12 nest boxes added to one side. Will this be large enough to over night them or should I lengthen the coop by a foot or two? Thanks in advance, becky

 

[SueT]

Welcome to BYC! The experts recommend a minimum of 4 sq. ft. coop space per chicken, and 10 sq. Ft. of run for each bird.

 

[snow5164]

Welcome here,
Agreed with above but coop size should be bigger if you have long winters with birds enclosed in coop.

Make it bigger you won’t regret that , smaller ? You might have to rehome fighting birds

So length times width of coop divided by the number of square feet

6x4=24\4= 6 birds

6x6=36/4=9 birds

 

[dunnmom]

If I could build a new coop for my chickens, I’d definitely build it bigger. Building to the minimum recommended space per chicken can cause problems, as I’ve found out the hard way. 4x6 might work for you if your chickens are all flockmates and get along well, but adding new birds later might prove more difficult, and hard winters stuck inside as was mentioned above. Of course fighting can happen no matter how big the coop, some chickens just don’t like sharing.

 

[aart]

Hi all. I have a quick question. We’ve changed our setup, demolished an old coop and are preparing to construct a new one. We are getting in 10 layer chicks. The girls will have a 10x20 enclosed run and an exterior coop. The coop itself will be 6x4 plus 4 12x12 nest boxes added to one side. Will this be large enough to over night them or should I lengthen the coop by a foot or two? Thanks in advance, becky

Go bigger.
But .....Read this:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-much-room-do-chickens-need

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[annaBsChick]

Here is a useful chart which provides details on space requirements (both inside and out) for chickens - http://www.adoptabirdnetwork.com/topics/chicken-space-requirements

 

[becky8813]

Hello. Thanks for all the information! We are going larger, with an 8x10 coop and a 10x20 enclosed run. They will get the run of our fenced in 5 acres once they reach full size also.

 

[dunnmom]

Glad we could all help talk you into it. I need to add living space for my setup, too. My husband will kill me if I ask him to dismantle our existing coop. However, I’m going to try to talk him into adding another coop on the other side of our run.