How big should it be?

[keegen456]

So I am a brand new chicken owner. My sister and I decided we really liked the idea of fresh eggs so we jumped into chickens head first by getting 18 chicks. We have them in a brooder now and they are doing fantastic. We plan to make a coop using pallets. The pallets are 36" squared. I was thinking of making the coop 3 pallets long by 2 pallets wide and 2 pallets tall. So basically 9'x6'x6'. Does that sound big enough for 18 chickens? or should we do 3 pallets by 3 pallets? And how big of a run should they have?

 

[ChickenRaiser95]

each chicken needs at least 2 square feet. i like to give them more like 4 square feet though

 

[keegen456]

so for 18 chickens 2sq ft would be 6'x6' right?

 

[offgridhermit]

I just want to wish you good luck building your coop. My coop (that I am re-doing) is made with pallets that are 40"x48". I'm making it 15'x8' and 2 pallets tall. Right now they are in an area only about half that size. I have 8 hens and 1 rooster at the moment.
Keep in mind you may have more chicks later and you want room for nesting boxes and maybe a roost where they will sleep. They also like to take dirt baths.

this is what it looked like last year. I tossed tarps over the top to give them more shade.
I have a small monthly income so I build with pallets and scrap wood.

This is what it is turning into. It's still a work in progress.

Happy farming and good luck with your project.

 

[4 the Birds]

So I am a brand new chicken owner. My sister and I decided we really liked the idea of fresh eggs so we jumped into chickens head first by getting 18 chicks. We have them in a brooder now and they are doing fantastic. We plan to make a coop using pallets. The pallets are 36" squared. I was thinking of making the coop 3 pallets long by 2 pallets wide and 2 pallets tall. So basically 9'x6'x6'. Does that sound big enough for 18 chickens? or should we do 3 pallets by 3 pallets? And how big of a run should they have?

You certainly did jump in head first with starting with 18 chicks! You will soon be collecting a dozen or so eggs each day! I would try to go 3 pallets by 3 pallets if you can. A basic pole construction frame would keep your pallets in place and safe from a collapse in big storms. Some people take apart the pallets and use the wood as the coop siding. If you use the pallets unassembled then you may want to add wood to cover slat openings to have a draft free coop. I would fence an area at least 10 ft wide by 15 or 20 feet long for the run. Good Luck!

 

[keegen456]

We need lots of eggs! Between my family of 6 and my sisters family of 5, we go through at least 6 dozen eggs a week! We had mapped out a 20 x 25 area for the run, and we can adjust the coop to be 9x9.