Help me decide on a chicken coop

[Poultrybonkers]

Im not a fan of those boxes as shaving etc will be kicked right out of them has nothing to keep bedding in.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

I wouldn't keep more than 3 full size hens in there and only as a place to lay eggs and sleep. It looks really small to me. Imagine 3 kids in a walk in closet for a few rainy days! You sure don't need that many laying boxes. I hate to say it but I would look for something bigger. No offense, it looks like it's made well, just too small. Sorry

 

[Cecisflock]

I wouldn't keep more than 3 full size hens in there and only as a place to lay eggs and sleep. It looks really small to me. Imagine 3 kids in a walk in closet for a few rainy days! You sure don't need that many laying boxes. I hate to say it but I would look for something bigger. No offense, it looks like it's made well, just too small. Sorry

X2

 

[cluckmecoop7]

I wouldn't keep more than 3 full size hens in there and only as a place to lay eggs and sleep. It looks really small to me. Imagine 3 kids in a walk in closet for a few rainy days! You sure don't need that many laying boxes. I hate to say it but I would look for something bigger. No offense, it looks like it's made well, just too small. Sorry

how many sq feet is that per hen?

 

[wamtazlady]

The main problem I see is that the ventilation will not be high enough above where the chickens roost to keep a breeze off the birds. Also, I am assuming you have added the nesting boxes to the size of the coop. You need to measure the size of the coop not including the nest boxes to figure out how many chickens it can hold. I will assume you will be left with a 4 by 4 coop which could hold 4 chickens giving each chicken 4 square feet of coop room. Four chickens will need 4 square feet of ventilation to keep moisture out of the coop during the winter. The coop looks as if it might give you close to that. All the area of the floor space does not count if you plan on putting the food and water in there. The area taken up by those items would be subtracted from coop area. That might take you down to 3 chickens for that coop.

The coop looks as if it is well built and sturdy. That is a plus. You could make it a lot better for the chickens if you add a nice sized covered run to it. With clear plastic over over 3 sides and a roof that run area would be great for the food and water and for the chickens to spend the days even during the coldest months of the winter.

Again, the biggest negative is that the coop is not high enough. With one more foot of height it could be an excellent coop. As it is, I believe it is better than the prefab coops many people buy.

 

[Isadora]

I don't know how many birds you were planning on putting in there but I wouldn't put more than three full-sized birds in there. Also not enough ventilation.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

I think 8 chickens would be fine, according to @WIchickMama's math.

 

[Weeg]

According to those dimensions it should be able to hold 12 birds, but I probably wouldn't put that may in there.
I can't really tell if there is enough ventilation, but I'd probably go ahead and add some more. I would be very concerned about the roost/ventialtion placement. Drafts are going to blow directly onto the birds while they sleep, and this will chill them in the winter. They also look kind of high. If its for bantams then that will be fine, but for standards those perches might be hard to reach, especially for heavy weight breeds.
There also way to many nesting boxes. Even if you did put in 12 birds, you would only need 3. Not that that affects the build a whole bunch, but it does take up a lot of extra a space, and shows that the builder doesn't' know much about chickens.
Those are the only major flaws I'm noticing, but my next question would be how much does it cost? Its very likely you can build a coop with better dimensions, and far less flaws for much cheeper than most prefabs/custom builds.

 

[Weeg]

I think 8 chickens would be fine, according to @WIchickMama's math.

Just note that 2sq ft. per hen is based off of commercial chicken farmers, or products that people are trying to sell. Purina recommends that because the more birds you have the more feed you buy, and other companies too. Commercial poultry farms that want to advertise well try to abide to that, but that just because they want to fit as many birds in that space as possible.
Those dimensions are most based off of the typical backyard chicken owners needs or necessities. I think you should go for a bigger coop, that looks awfully small. Hoop Coops are very easy to build, have lots of opportunity for ventilation, and can probably be build with scraps and minimal purchases.

 

[Tonyroo]

10 LF would be maxed out, for the size dimensions I would say 6 LF or 10 bantam would be comfortable for the chickens.

I see a air gap near the peak which is good, but you would need to drill some holes near the bottom wall for proper air flow.

Nice design but what's with so many nesting boxes?