How big of a coop for 15 chickens?

[teach1rusl]

I agree with all the OPs who mentioned the more room the better. I didn't see what area you guys live in, but if its an area that has snow/ice in the winter, your birds will probably spend a lot more time inside than normal (not that you have a normal yet, since they're still babies...lol.) Mine are just a week older than yours, and they are already spending more time indoors when the days are cold here.

 

[Sissy]

I have 1 roo plus 7 hens( Bantam cochins)
in a 4x8 coop with
an enclosed attached run 4x8.

but if Iwere to build it again I would build it as large as space would allow and put seperations in side because now I had to build 2 more coops for my orps. silkies .ameraucanas.

 

[jlgoinggreen]

Thank you so much everyone. I really appreciate all of the advice.

 

[mdbokc]

I have an 8 x 12 for a dozen birds the size of Buffs. I would not want less space for the long haul and that is 8 sq ft per bird in my coop.

 

[Mr. Peepers]

Quote:
A lot of the information on the extension sites is for commercial operations where they clip the beaks, keep them inside, and have 10,000 laying hens in one coop. Most of us here try to give them enough room so extraordinary measures are not necessary to keep them from harming one another. I get a lot of good information from the extension sites but I don't rely on them for space information.

The Virginia site is also on my list of very good extension sites. I'll include a few others. My personal favorites are Texas A&M and Mississippi State.

Texas A&M
http://gallus.tamu.edu/publications.htm

Purdue Website
http://ag.ansc.purdue.edu/poultry/

NC State Site
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/Publications/animalagriculture.php

Mississippi State site
http://www.poultry.msstate.edu/extension/

Thanks for the good references. There's a wealth of info on these sites, but the more I read, the more I see that the experts truly do disagree. In reference to the requirements for small (backyard) flocks, here's what the various state agricultural extensions have to say about coop space requirements per chicken.

Georgia 3 to 3-1/2 sq ft
Virginia 1-1/2 to 2
Texas 3
Kansas 2
Michigan 1-1/2

Kind of makes you wonder.

 

[teach1rusl]

Mr. Peepers :

Quote:
A lot of the information on the extension sites is for commercial operations where they clip the beaks, keep them inside, and have 10,000 laying hens in one coop. Most of us here try to give them enough room so extraordinary measures are not necessary to keep them from harming one another. I get a lot of good information from the extension sites but I don't rely on them for space information.

The Virginia site is also on my list of very good extension sites. I'll include a few others. My personal favorites are Texas A&M and Mississippi State.

Texas A&M
http://gallus.tamu.edu/publications.htm

Purdue Website
http://ag.ansc.purdue.edu/poultry/

NC State Site
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/Publications/animalagriculture.php

Mississippi State site
http://www.poultry.msstate.edu/extension/

Thanks for the good references. There's a wealth of info on these sites, but the more I read, the more I see that the experts truly do disagree. In reference to the requirements for small (backyard) flocks, here's what the various state agricultural extensions have to say about coop space requirements per chicken.

Georgia 3 to 3-1/2 sq ft
Virginia 1-1/2 to 2
Texas 3
Kansas 2
Michigan 1-1/2

Kind of makes you wonder.​

Yep! I wonder if the experts do an average kind of figuring, based on most common breeds in the state??? I mean, look at Texas. For a bantum breed, that would be great! But what if you have Jersey Giants?? And for warm weather areas, you probably wouldn't need as much indoor space as cold weather areas... And meat birds vs. laying hens... Very generic numbers...

 

[teach1rusl]

Mr. Peepers :

Quote:
A lot of the information on the extension sites is for commercial operations where they clip the beaks, keep them inside, and have 10,000 laying hens in one coop. Most of us here try to give them enough room so extraordinary measures are not necessary to keep them from harming one another. I get a lot of good information from the extension sites but I don't rely on them for space information.

The Virginia site is also on my list of very good extension sites. I'll include a few others. My personal favorites are Texas A&M and Mississippi State.

Texas A&M
http://gallus.tamu.edu/publications.htm

Purdue Website
http://ag.ansc.purdue.edu/poultry/

NC State Site
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/Publications/animalagriculture.php

Mississippi State site
http://www.poultry.msstate.edu/extension/

Thanks for the good references. There's a wealth of info on these sites, but the more I read, the more I see that the experts truly do disagree. In reference to the requirements for small (backyard) flocks, here's what the various state agricultural extensions have to say about coop space requirements per chicken.

Georgia 3 to 3-1/2 sq ft
Virginia 1-1/2 to 2
Texas 3
Kansas 2
Michigan 1-1/2

Kind of makes you wonder.​

Yep! It sure does! I wonder if the experts do an average kind of figuring, based on most common breeds in the state??? I mean, look at Texas. For a bantum breed, that would be great! But what if you have Jersey Giants?? And for warm weather areas, you probably wouldn't need as much indoor space as cold weather areas... And meat birds vs. laying hens... Very generic numbers...

 

[gsim]

All good info here. 4 sq ft per bird is standard. I built so I have about 6 sq ft per bird. My outside is 80 sq ft per bird in the electrified run. As one post says, more room, less fighting/pecking. Do put a bump-out for nest boxes if you go with a small coop. You will be glad you did. More space inside for you to move about. Make ladders so that they have cleats every 4" or so, and set them up to be 4:1 slope if possible or 3: 1 slope. Too steep is bad and bad for young ones that are growing. Linoleum floor great, but need lots of litter on floor so they do not get splay-legged from slippery surface. I raised mine in long boxes about 2 ft x 8 ft long OSB with cardboard sides so they got good traction as young chicks. Do put roosts in at earliest ages. I put in little 4" high roosts from day one and the little buggers hopped right up on them right away. Funny sight is over 20 fuzz-balls sitting on a tiny roost! I added an 8" roost soon after and they were all over it too right away. Bottom line is they do not use the ladders in the coop now. They just hop up to 2 ft height then up to 4 ft height roosts and jump down. My nests are 2 ft up, opposite roost wall.

Also good to give them living greens right away. Mine had live greens from our garden from day one and I never added calcium to their food until they started to lay at 16 weeks because they were getting the calcium from the daily portion of live greens. I gave them carrot stems and leaves, pepper leaves, beet stems and leaves, radish stems and leaves, etc, plus all kind of treats from trimmings of veggies and fruits from our own salads. Stay tuned to the BYC site for all kinds of good tips.

 

[TJordan]

yikes!!! We build a coop roughly 4.5'x4.5 with 3.5 head room for our birds but this is WAY to small!!! It might work well when we want babies but ..... Not for the birds we have to get those babies!!! It took me pestering my husband for 2 months to get it built.. How do I get him to build another bigger one...

I knew this would happen lol...

 

[TJordan]

It will be off the ground on a 3.5 ' frame with a big yard to run in but it's still to small... A few tweets still needed... Slant the roof more, few more vents, a couple of perches...