I would like to have 12 chickens and about 5 sq feet inside the coop for each of them. This is 65 sq feet, but how does that translate into how many feet the coop should be (ie 8 x 8)? Or does anyone know what a good size would be?
I have 23 birds in an 8x8 coop with a 12x36 run. More than enough room. 3-4 sq ft per bird is adequate and you can count vertical space as well, ie roosts, perches, anything they can climb on. I have pics on my BYC page of my coops.
Yes, if you want 5 sq ft apiece for 12 chickens then an 8x8 coop is the most sensible way to go. You would want 60 sq ft from your plans; 8x8 will give you 64 sq ft in theory but 8x8 is usually *exterior* dimensions and you will need to subtract 8" or so, each direction, for the actual interior measurements, if you use standard stud wall construction, although if you leave the inside stud structure open then it may not actually be *much* different from 64 sq ft. There is nothing magic about *exact* numbers and that is certainly ballpark-the-same. Build it according to multiples of standard lumber when at all possible! Good luck, have fun, Pat
I have a 1/2 acre poultary area, the coop is 150 feet by 200 feet with water and eletric. The entire area is fenced with welded wire with eletric fence on the top and bottom on the outside. It has 600 gallon pond for the geese and ducks. Of course the turkies don't realize they are turkies and get in the water all the time.
