How large of a coop?

[blue-eyed boy farm]

Hi, I have 4 chickens (Aracuna, Buff Orpington, Polish Crested & a Golden Sex Link) my question is how big of a coop do the actually need?

Their chicken run is about 5 feet by 15 feet long. Currently I have the two older girls in a converted dog house (about 4x5x3) the two younger girls will be moving in soon and am curious how big of a coop do I really need? Can 4 of them fit comfortably in the dog house or should I make a larger coop.

Any suggestions would be helpful.

 

[ging3rhoffman]

Each chicken is suppose to have 4 square ft each. We made our coop 10' tall so they could roost up off of the ground at night. I was worried about snakes and possible rats being able to get to them on the ground.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I see you are new here. Welcome to this forum.

As Ging3rHoffman said, they need 4 sq ft per chicken in the coop. This assumes they have 10 sq ft each in the run. You have almost twice that. I assume the dog house is 4' x 5' in width/length and 3' high. Where you are the chickens can be outside in the run practically all day every day. You already have plenty of room for 4 chickens. The 3 feet height is plenty for the chickens. It might make it a little hard for you to clean it out, but I'm sure you'll manage. With two already in there, you are already cleaning it.

 

[blue-eyed boy farm]

Thank you for all the information. I have their run covered with a fiberglass roof so it provides shade in the summer and keeps most of the rain out during the winter. They indeed spend most of their time out side.

Someone had submitted pic's of their coop and they had used a dog house as well. I think I am going to try to put a peaked roof on it so they have a little more room for perching and also attach a laying box. Currently they just made a little nest of the floor.

Thanks again.

 

[ecopepper]

I was going to check craigs list and freecycle for a dog house myself...let me know what you deside....I think alot of people build one then modify it to suit their needs as they see fit. I want it to be easy to clean though....Good Luck!! I am a newbe too!!

 

[chickens3]

You are going to need a lot of room for them to move around or they might kill each other over time.