Coop Size Question

[crzychicknmom]

Hi!

This is a basic question, but I failed math multiple times so I need the help!

We are ordering a new chicken coop custom built, what size is needed for 22 chickens including 6 bantams? Our flock is a mix of ameraucanas, salmon favorelles, Isa browns, white and barred rocks, and assorted bantams.

I cannot calculate square feet to save my life!

Thank you in advance!

 

[Matilda Belle]

28 x 4 = 112 square feet minimum inside the coop.

28 x 10 = 280 square feet for the run.

This is the bare minimum. More space is always better.

 

[DobieLover]

28 x 4 = 112 square feet minimum inside the coop.

28 x 10 = 280 square feet for the run.

This is the bare minimum. More space is always better.

I think it's 22 total chickens, 6 bantams and 16 LF. In my experience 2 bantams take up the same roost/coop space as 1 LF. So let's say the OP has the equivalent of 19 LF chickens.
I'd order an 8x10 coop and plan on offering the 280 sq ft run mentioned above at a minimum.

 

[Matilda Belle]

I think it's 22 total chickens, 6 bantams and 16 LF. In my experience 2 bantams take up the same roost/coop space as 1 LF. So let's say the OP has the equivalent of 19 LF chickens.
I'd order an 8x10 coop and plan on offering the 280 sq ft run mentioned above at a minimum.

Good catch! My mistake!

 

[aart]

Much can depend on if your run will be weather and predator proof....
...and also.....
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Alaskan]

Much can depend on if your run will be weather and predator proof....
...and also.....
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 2594523

X a jillion.

If you live in a gentle climate, then a smaller coop can work great.

A super hot climate, then almost no coop, just a huge predator proof fully roofed run.

A cold climate with feet of snow and 9 months of winter, and you really need 9 square feet per bird of inside covered space.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Where are you located? I know we ask this a lot but it really does make a difference in how some of us answer. If you put it in your profile it is always available.

I agree with Aart and Alaskan. Your conditions have a lot to do with this. The answer could be different if you are in Denver Colorado, Miami Florida, Calgary Alberto, Glasgow Scotland, or Perth Australia. How you plan to manage them can make a difference too. If you follow the link in my signature below you may see why some of us think the answer will be different for different people.

You have decided how many chickens you want, which is great. Is that how many you will eventually wind up with? Will you be integrating in the future or have a broody hen hatch and raise chicks? Those activities take more room than if they are all the same age and grew up together. So plan ahead some.

Now you need to look at how can you can efficiently build what you need. Your climate can play into a lot of those details on how to build it, let alone what size it needs to be. I don't look at coop size in isolation either. I look as your coop and run as a space system. How you manage that space enters into the equation. In areas with warmer winters you can build cheaper than in colder climates. With the price of building materials these days that could be important. But your question is on size.

Most building materials come in standard dimensions of 4' or 8', if you are in the US, Myanmar, or Liberia. The rest of the world uses metric. If you can plan your design around those standard numbers you can often save on cutting and waste. You can often wind up with something a little bigger and with less cost since labor can be less. Every cut is an opportunity to waste a piece of wood unless you are very careful.

If I were in a temperate climate where the chickens can be outside most all day practically every day, which a lot of the US is, and I had a pretty decent sized area they can go to when they are outside, for 22 chickens I'd probably plan on an 8 x 12 coop. It would be a walk-in coop tall enough to comfortably stand in. That does not conform to any square feet requirements, but it is big enough to give you some flexibility when things happen. And it is more efficient to build than a 7' x 13' coop.