finally decided, THIS is the coop I want!

[pappy1264]

This is where my coop is going to be built (inside here...have to clean up from winter storage/mess...lol) But these pics show the area I have to work with. The kennel is 10x6x30, but I have my squirrel release cage and bunny hutch on one end, as I do wildlife rehab, so have half to put the coop/run in. Is that enough space for 8 chickens? I am wondering if I should do the 'coop' on the back (the wood side), as I can make it longer and then the run can go the whole legnth of the kennel?

 

[Jakoda]

really cute coop! I have 9 LF chickens,(getting 4 more) my coop being rebuilt is going to be 12 x 8+ , my run is 12 x 20+, My suggestion, bigger is better. If you can't free range (which I cannot, to many predators), you might want to incorporate the dog kennel into your run and cover it with 'something', so nothing can get in. I believe the concensus is about 3-4 square feet per chicken inside coop area?

I don't think you'll regret going as big as you can but keeping it within reason, my initial area is 12 x 4+ and while it's sufficent, I'm finding doubling it will be much better. Good luck with your project!
diane

 

[pappy1264]

Granted, although I have 8 chicks, I don't know if or how many could turn out to be roosters, so the end number could be 8 or it could be 2 (with my luck! lol) What if I don't have that kind of space? For 8 chicks, what is the smallest one can safely go (in feet)? I want to give them the most room I can, but have to work with the area I have.