How big should my coop be for 12 chicks?

[ChickenFarmerGirl]

How big should my coop be for 12 chicks? Oh, and what age should the chicks be before they start living in a coop?

 

[noregerts]

Bigger than you think. Why? Chicken Math? You won't always have 12 chicks so just plan for it.
As far as going outside, if they're good inside without a heat lamp, they're fine outside. Roughly 6 weeks old if not in some crazy cold climate.

 

[sylviethecochin]

48 sq feet, for large fowl (not bantams). Four square feet per bird. So about 6x8' or 7x7' at the smallest. If you're on a budget, the easiest thing to do might be to find an old shed and convert it into a coop. That way, you can walk in and easily clean it.

And ten feet in the run would make 120 ft run.

Ignore TSC's prefab coops that say they hold up to sixteen birds; the only sixteen birds that would fit into those coops are sebright bantams. (six inches tall)

 

[ChickenFarmerGirl]

great advice

 

[aart]

Four square feet per bird.

Minimum....best to go bigger.
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[flyin-lowe]

If you have basic building skills you can build your own coop with better quality and way cheaper then anything you can buy that is of any decent quality. All of the little pre fab coops at farm stores claim to hold about 15 hens and are poorly made. They could only hold a few at most. As others have said plan on 4 sq. foot per bird of coop space. If you are going to have feeders, inside nest boxes etc. then you will need a little more space. I build mine 6x8 with 7 foot walls (8 foot peak). I had the windows and tin for the roof donated but the lumber (treated from the floor down, standard pine from floor up) for just under $300.00. A similar sized coop from one of those road side barn builders would sell for a couple thousand. If you don't have the building skills a pre built shed from Lowes, Menards, Home Depot are usually the next best bet for quality/price. Some easy mods and it is ready for hens.