How big of a coop do I need for 12 chickens?

[Echilde]

What do you do with all those eggs? We raised too many and was giving eggs away by the, no, not carton, box. We were getting a dozen eggs a day and we eat and use maybe 8-10 a week, sometimes, lol!
Well, our problem was solved sadly enough. A new neighbor let his bird dogs run. My son came running up to the house calling, "Mom, come quick!" The dogs had returned to their owners by the time that I got out there. It was terror on the farm for sure. My poor babies (although they were adults) dead or dying. My younger soon was out in the pasture chewing out the dogs owners for letting their dogs run loose. They offered us their 8 layers that they had raised from chicks. I said no, it just wasn't the same. I asked that they pay $25 a bird. The feed store sells pullets for $19 each. My babies were in full lay. Sadly the last injured one died today. I was so very happy to see 4 hens come wandering in from where I don't know, I had looked and looked for them. And Shortie! My little poster boy! Surprisingly I got 2 egss the next day. They were so tramitized.
My coop is 24 x 12 Don't need all that room now. BUT, I have a banty hen sitting on an artificial egg, in a weeks I'm going to put a few chicks under her!!

That's terrible! I am so sorry. At least they offered to pay. When my old neighbor's dog killed a few of mine they just came and got their dog and left. Anyway, I sell all of the eggs. I make enough to cover the chicken's feed and the goat's, plus a little extra, at least during the warmer months. Winter is much more costly. And we rarely eat eggs anymore lol.

 

[Echilde]

I don't think it would take long. LGD's and herding dogs are quite intelligent and want to please you, they just need to be pointed in the right direction. I would rather have a pup from working dogs off a farm than a breeder dog for such purposes. Np, I'm not trying to be critical, just helpful.

I didn't take it as critical at all. You just made me think that I have been thinking about this all wrong. So thanks!

 

[Indoroowet]

The coop, where they sleep (or lay eggs in), should be between 1 and 3 square foot of space.
The run should be at least 4 square foot per chicken, and the bigger the better, if you have the room.

CAUTION.
Depending on the climate where you are, the number of chickens and the coop size should be very close.
A very large coop with just a few chickens in a cold climate will be hard to keep warm by the chickens themselves. NEVER add heat to a coop, but build the coop size accordingly.

Are you aware of the minimum ventilation requirements for the number of chickens? You did not ask, so I wonder...

 

[Larry Rose]

Thanks so much! we have the room and were planning on a 10 x 12 raised coop plus a 12 foot run!

I built a 12' X 12' coop. I thought about 12' X 16', and now I wish I had. You will always want more room, and more Chickens. I raise 3 Broods each year. I built a Enclosed shelf suspended from the ceiling for my Incubator, and put a small area next to it for the baby chicks. They stay there for 3 weeks then go down to another larger Brooder which is partly underneath. Then to yet another Brooder. Then 21 days later, they go to a big pen 3 X 3 X 7ft. I sell 40 birds a year, so this is what I do, and it works. My Coop sits on one layer of concrete block which is cemented onto a large Silo Platform also of concrete. Metal household door. Mouse & Rat proof. Their run is 200 X 8 ft total. Plus they free range. I keep as much off the floor, such as Brooders and nest box which allows them more room. (And less fighting) I let them out early every day to free range unless it's raining. I also have two Pallets standing against fence posts which offers them "Cover" along with another pen in the run made from 3 Pallets with a metal roof. Good luck and enjoy your birds. They can be very calming and I enjoy mine very much.

 

[rsmith1109]

How big of a coop do I need for 12 chickens?

 

[rsmith1109]

I have 12 ISA Brown hens in a 96 square feet (12' X 8') coop along with a 144 square feet (12' X 12') chicken wire pen (with chicken wire on top, too) that seems to be very adequate for my hens. I have never been invaded by a predator and I believe that's due to the fact my pen is covered with wire. I also have a grassy area approximately 15' in diameter that I let them out into for 8- 12 hours daily in good weather. That area is not covered with wire so I only let them out there when I will be nearby to protect against predators. We have an abundance of predators - raccoon , fox, and coyote - that have not been a threat to my hens, I believe, due to my setup.

 

[ValerieJ]

Of course I shell them. Unless it is their find. I don't give them very often. By dirty I mean laid on the poop board, pooped on. My dogs eat chicken poop regularly anyway, lol, but it isn't like I feed it to em. They like to eat dirt too. Dogs will be dogs.

Dogs will eat anything! I actually wash any dirty eggs in a little warm water with a few drops of dawn in it. Is that a bad thing?

 

[Toothpick]

As large as you have the space for and can afford is my suggestion. 8x8 or larger is a good suggestion. I want something I can walk around in and maneuver in. Makes it easy to clean out. Plenty of room for roosts and nest boxes. I even put a brooder in the coop. The more room the better IMO.

 

[Judy Todd]

How big of a coop do I need for 12 chickens?

Don't forget to figure in the size of your gals. Medium size require 3 sq ft per bird, large, 4, banty less then three. My gals free range all day , every day in two different yards, one , the whole orchard , 15 fruit trees, so plenty of room. There is a explanation in Storey's book on chickens.

 

[Jeddice]

I plan to bury hardware cloth to help with predators that dig like skunks, coons etc. but we also raise smooth miniature dachshunds so they would be our worst predators, because we hunt rabbits with the dogs so free ranging for our girls will be out of the question,

J

As large as you have the space for and can afford is my suggestion. 8x8 or larger is a good suggestion. I want something I can walk around in and maneuver in. Makes it easy to clean out. Plenty of room for roosts and nest boxes. I even put a brooder in the coop. The more room the better IMO.

I have 2 coops (snap & locks) which are about 21 sq. feet each. My pen is an 8x10, with coops on each end, it is a slanted roof, if I knew then what I know now I would have gone for taller walls. I have to stooped over to clean. This all sits in a walled in yard that’s 20x25, they spend most all day out in yard. 10 of my ladies were roosting in one coop, and 1 had the other to herself. Now I have a hen that went broody so I gave her a few fertile eggs. One has hatched. She has the coop to herself and baby. The others don’t seem to mind the tight quarters, but then they only sleep there, and lay eggs in nesting boxes.
Now as for dogs, mine range between 4 and 11 yrs old. They were introduced to chicks right from the day they came home from TS. They are so much fun to watch all together. So far have never seen any kind of behavior that would make me separate them.