How large of a coop do i need?

[bantams321]

I have 6 bantam chicks, 1 RIR chick, i am getting 2 silkies another rir and 2 buff orpingtons in the spring. How big of a coop do i need?

 

[1muttsfan]

For standard size fowl, plan on 4 square feet of floor space in the coop, 10 square feet of run. Bantams can do with a bit less, but 3 square feet is a decent amount. Remember that in bad weather birds may be inside for long periods of time, and crowding them leads to behavioral issues such as picking and bullying, and in more work to keep the coop clean.

You may want to visit the Learning Center for guides on many how-to projects

 

[bantams321]

Thankyou and I have a chicken coop that says for 4 standard sized chickens and i am purchasing a shed that is 10x14. I am connecting them and my chickens are going to be able to range all day and will just be in the coop/shed at night. I think this should be fine but i am new to chickens and i just want to make sure they are happy so any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated

 

[1muttsfan]

Ask what the actual measurements are for the coop, they often include the laying boxes as floor space, and I have seen coops for sale that claim to house many more birds than they should hold - as little as 1 1/2 square feet per bird. Remember that in bad weather your birds may be confined for long periods of time, and there should be ample space for those times.

 

[salt and pepper]

I would just do three square feet per bird inside the coop, and ten out in the run, maybe a tiny bit less. I agree that many pre made coops say they can house more birds than they should. good luck!

 

[cknkids]

Don't forget chicken math

when planning the coop. Make sure you have enough space now and if possible, allow room for more later.

 

[cafarmgirl]

It's just always better to go larger then you think you'll need. That always works out much better then finding out after the fact that you don't have enough space or starting to have behavior problems because the birds are too crowded. Your 10 x 14 shed is plenty of space for your potential flock of 12, I probably wouldn't even bother messing with the little coop except maybe as a hospital or broody hen cage.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

You may not want to connect the coop to shed. Varying sizes of birds can cause problems and silkies are not known to hold their own in pecking orders. You may find the silkies need their own coop. Or at least you'll have a grow out coop or quarentine coop on hand for future use.

I'm not a believer in 4 sqft per bird for coop space. Our birds don't have any problems with 2 sqft each in coop as it's just a place to roost at night or pass through to lay eggs in attached nest boxes. We get severe winter here. The birds spent two early mornings in the coop this year by choice. One morning was -28F so they waited for it to get up to -10F before coming out. The other morning was odd direction high winds due to Nemo, only side of run not sheltered had 20 MPH winds on a 5F morning. Both times did eat and drink in run but hung in coop till 10 am. Firm believer in big runs. The bigger the better. Coops are limited to roost space and dynamic of flock not actual square footage unless you keep them heated and birds locked up days.

 

[Trefoil]

I also wouldn't connect the two. For the same reason plus if they are apart they can be used as containment for new birds. Every time you add new birds the potential is there to change the dynamics of the whole flock, so you won't know when or if you're going to need the extra space. The 10 x 14 shed sounds like a great idea. If it were me, I would add as large a run as I could afford to keep completely predator proof and confine the birds to it and the coop at night. And then I would separate part of the coop off for young birds or a brooder. The possibilities are endless. Good luck.

 

[bantams321]

Thank you everyone!