How big?

[EggspectoPatronum]

How big of a coop and run will I need for ten chickens?

Thank You,
Terra

 

[CoopsNPoops]

General rule of thumb is 3 to 4 square feet per chicken in coop, and 8 to 10 square feet per chicken in the run. So minimum 30 square feet coop floor space. 1 foot roost space is sufficient, so you will need at least 10 feet of roost space at minimum too. The run should be, at minimum, 80 sq ft. Though i would push for bigger. I would push for 100 sq ft.

 

[EggspectoPatronum]

General rule of thumb is 3 to 4 square feet per chicken in coop, and 8 to 10 square feet per chicken in the run. So minimum 30 square feet coop floor space. 1 foot roost space is sufficient, so you will need at least 10 feet of roost space at minimum too. The run should be, at minimum, 80 sq ft. Though i would push for bigger. I would push for 100 sq ft.

Okay, cool! Thank you for replying.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I would go with a minimum of a 6x8 coop and a 10x10 run.
Things that take up floor space in a coop detract from the overall usable space. Feed dishes and nests are the most common things making a coop smaller.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

4 square feet in the coop,​

10 square feet in the run,​

1 linear foot of roost,​

1/4 of a nest box,​

And 1 square foot of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.​

10 Hens would require:

40 square feet in the coop -- that's 5x8 or 6x6, but 6x8 would be an easier build with less waste since lumber comes in multiples of 4 and you could buy 12-foot boards and cut them in half.

100 square feet in the run -- that's 10x10, 8x13, or 6x17. 10x10 chainlink dog kennels are popular for runs of this size because of they're readily available and easy to set up but they need to be reinforced with hardware cloth to prevent raccoons from reaching in and pulling chickens through the wire bit by bit. 8x16 is generous, but probably the easiest build.

10 feet of roost. For larger flocks like this it is good to have more than one roost so that low-status birds can get away from the dominant birds.

3 nest boxes,

and at least 10 square feet of ventilation -- 1 square foot of ventilation is 1 foot wide and 1 foot tall. Or 2 feet wide and 6 inches tall. Or 4 feet wide and 3 inches tall. Or a triangle under your gable peak that is 2 feet wide at the bottom and one foot tall. The best test to see if you have enough ventilation is to go into the coop on a warm, sunny day. If it's warmer in than out you need more ventilation. Additionally, heat and ammonia both rise so some of the ventilation should be at the very top of the coop.

A lot of factors go into determining how best to incorporate these guidelines into your plans and there are times when these minimums aren't going to be enough. This thread talks about that: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ave-more-than-the-minimums-for-space.1462570/

Good luck!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, Terra. Welcome to the forum, glad you joined. And thanks for including your location, that helps.

Instead of giving you a square foot number for space I suggest you follow the link in my signature below about space for chickens. You'll see why I don't necessarily believe in those kinds of numbers. They are usually not a bad starting point but we are all unique. For some of us it's overkill, for some maybe not enough. You might see something in that article that will cause you to think about it a bit.

Whether you are in Murray, famous Harlan County, or Henderson you should have weather where your chickens can get outside into the run practically every day of the year. That takes some pressure off of your coop space as long as you manage them in a way that they can get to the run. If you will integrate more chickens or replacement chickens in the future or let a broody hen hatch chicks more room might come in handy. I know the price of building materials is sky high right now, you don't want to overbuild. If you build your run so it is predator proof you can leave your pop door open all the time which takes pressure off of your coop space. I'm a proponent of giving them all the room you reasonably can but you have to be reasonable.

If you are buying all the materials new, most less expensive dimensions of building materials come in 4' or 8' dimensions. You can usually save cutting and waste if you build to those dimensions. A 6' width isn't that bad, you may be able to use the cut-offs for nests or other things. Since your roof needs to slope so water doesn't stand that lets you use cheaper materials for the roof an maybe still have an overhang. Make sure the roof slopes away from doors so you don't get soaked going in and out when it rains.

For 10 chickens I'd want a walk-in coop. You need to be able to get to every location in that coop for many different reasons. With 10 chickens it's hard to build a reach-in coop where you can reach everywhere. Build it tall enough so you can stand up in it and enough room so you can work.

A 6' x 8' coop is probably not a bad size for you unless you see something in my article that jumps out at you to say smaller or larger. Other than cost, I never see anyone complaining about building it too big but some run into issues if it is to small.

I don't know how you plan to build your run. Your run is part of your "space system". My suggestion is to look at the size of the materials you are building it with. If it is mostly posts and wire you may be able to build it bigger for not a lot of cost. If it has a lot of lumber and roofing materials in it then it may get pretty expensive to make it bigger.

Good luck, and once again

 

[rosemarythyme]

All good advice above. I'd just like to add, if at all possible (space and budget-wise) go bigger than "minimum," especially in the run. I'd recommend closer to 15-20 sq ft per bird if possible (I'm at 44 sq ft per bird right now). A lot of behavior issues and health issues can be prevented by simply giving them more space.

 

[3KillerBs]

All good advice above. I'd just like to add, if at all possible (space and budget-wise) go bigger than "minimum," especially in the run. I'd recommend closer to 15-20 sq ft per bird if possible (I'm at 44 sq ft per bird right now). A lot of behavior issues and health issues can be prevented by simply giving them more space.

Indeed.

Plenty of fresh air for good physical health and plenty of elbow room for good mental health.