How big?

[billmac]

I'm going to turn a corner of my barn into a chicken coop. I will have 12 Rhode Island Reds. How big should I make it? Front to back, it is about 9.5 feet, so I'm looking for a width measurement. I have some flexibility so I don't need to make it the absolute minimum, but I don't want to waste space either.

Thanks

 

[Intheswamp]

Quote:
Well, according to the "4 foot per bird" rule 12 chickens need 48sqft which a 9.5'x5' area would give you. But if you could stretch it out to 9.5'x8' you would be giving them 6sqft each which would make them much happier (and wouldn't be so crowded to work in).

Hope that helps,
Ed

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

You'll always want more, so make it as big as you can.

My 12 x 12 ft horse stall turned coop could hold 36 chicks if you used the 4 sq ft per bird rule (12 x 12 = 144 % 4 = 36).

But I must say, I wouldn't want to stick that many birds in there. It's really nice to go out and sit and visit with the ten 7 wk olds I just moved out there on Monday. Plus, I have plenty of room to move around with a big wheel barrow to clean and spread shavings.

If you had it big enough, you could even section off a portion for introducing new birds, young birds that out grew the brooder, etc. Bigger is better.