How big of a coop do we need?

[Lomcewen]

We’ve recently been raising 6 baby chicks in our living room and going to purchase a coop this week. We have 3 isa brown and 3 Brahma Hens. I’m looking for advice on what size coop we will need. I want to make sure we have enough space for each chicken.

 

[cherrynberry]

Usually coops online list that more chickens can fit, but usually that’s not the case. For 6 hens, I recommend 12 square feet, 3x4 coop. If you are able, building your own coop is usually cheaper and fitting.

 

[junior67]

We’ve recently been raising 6 baby chicks in our living room and going to purchase a coop this week. We have 3 isa brown and 3 Brahma Hens. I’m looking for advice on what size coop we will need. I want to make sure we have enough space for each chicken.

most coops you will purchase will either be poorly made or not have enough ventiliation.

But depending on where you live it makes a difference so adding your location to your profile helps.

General rule of thumb is 4 sq ft per chicken for the coop NOT counting nest boxes
10 sq ft of run space for them
and 1 linear ft of 24/7/365 ventilation per chicken for the coop as well

 

[junior67]

Usually coops online list that more chickens can fit, but usually that’s not the case. For 6 hens, I recommend 12 square feet, 3x4 coop. If you are able, building your own coop is usually cheaper and fitting.

that is only 2 sq ft per chicken. which works for bantams but not standard chickens

 

[Meg-in-MT]

12 square feet is not near big enough for 6 chickens, especially LF.

Are you building an attached predator proof run with your coop? General rule of thumb is 4sq ft per chicken, but I would build bigger than that. Do you plan on adding more in the future or can you only have 6?

 

[Sally PB]

For 6 full sized chickens, plan on at least 24 sf.

Premade coops are rarely adequate. If it looks like a dollhouse, it's good for toy chickens. (@3KillerBs came up with that line. Credit where it's due!)

If you are at all handy, you can build your own, much more economically than you can pay someone to build for you. You can repurpose a shed and make a great coop. Check out all the articles about building a coop for ideas.

Lumber is insanely expensive now, no doubt about that. If that is a stumbling block, look into cast off pieces from building sites, or reclaimed lumber places. (We once put in a tongue and groove oak floor with reclaimed stuff for a fraction of the cost of new.)

Chickens don't care what a coop looks like. It has to have enough space, enough ventilation, and be secure and dry.

 

[Alaskan]

We’ve recently been raising 6 baby chicks in our living room and going to purchase a coop this week. We have 3 isa brown and 3 Brahma Hens. I’m looking for advice on what size coop we will need. I want to make sure we have enough space for each chicken.

If you live somewhere really hot, I highly recommend a huge wire box/ open air coop/ roofed run type of thing. In that case, for 6 chickens, you need about an 8 x 12.

If you live where it gets really cold, I recommend buying a shed sized 8x8. Make the roof on one side of the shed extend out over the run. If you have gobs of snow, you want at least 8x8 of the run roofed, but more would be better.