how big do I need to make it??

By the math as I understand it, you'll need 12 square feet, maybe bump that up to 14 sqf for one jersey giant . But bigger is better. I wouldn't include the nest-box in the square footage, so either make those exterior or figure how much space they'll take and add that in. You probably only need 2 boxes, at most, which I would guess would be about 3 sqf. So, could you do at least 16 sqf? That's only 4x4'. Sounds crowded to me, but since they'll probably all be on the same 20" of roost or waiting in line for the one preferred nest box, I suppose 4x4 should do.

 

Ours is about 6x9 for three chickens. It includes the nest box. It is roomy and I don't worry about them being crowded in the winter.

 

For 6 I wouldn't go smaller than 24 sq feet. The chickens for dummies book I have says 2-3 sq feet per chicken but most people here recommend 4 sq feet. Since we get snow in the winter, I wanted ours big enough in case they decided to stay in on cold snowy days.

 

I have just over 2 sqft per bird in the roosting coop and about 8 sqft of run space and Have no trouble at all, but they range in my back yard between 4-10 hrs everyday

 

Our current coop is 24 sq feet and we have 12 chickens. They all fit in there but it's a tight squeeze. They seem to like being in there during certain times of the day so I wanted to make sure that they all fit ok in the new coop (which will be 50 sq feet minus the feeder and waterer).

 

i would personally make an A-frame that is 6 feet long and 2. fet high and 3 feet wide.you could even make it an open ottom, put wheels on it and have a chicken tractor.

 

The minimum I would build is 24 sq. ft for 6 chickens, at least if you live in an area that gets snow in winter time. If you elevate the nest boxes by screwing them onto the wall frames, then you lose no floor space. If your nest boxes will sit on the floor, then I'd opt for 30 sq. ft.
However, if you live in an area that's lucky enough to have a very mild climate year-round, then you could go smaller, as they would literally never be indoors except to roost or lay eggs. Even my little silkies and d'uccles have more than 4 sq. ft. per bird in their housing - chickens always do better with ample space. Of course in the run you'll want at least 10 sq. ft. per bird...

 

Quote:I agree. I live in the Michigan UP and we get a lot of snow and cold temperatures in the winter. Two square feet per bird is ideal for warmth and comfort.

 

Quote:Even when the weather is nice, our chickens do spend some time inside the coop.