How much head room do chickens need?

[cheryl98117]

I am in the process of building a coop/run for a breeding trio, and was planning on using my grow out pen for the run. The thing is that the grow out pen in only 1' 6" tall x 7'6" long x 4' wide. I plan on making the run iether longer or double the width. Is this too short/small of a run for a trio of Brown Leghorns?

I will post pics of the run soon.

 

[lleighmay]

Floor plan-wise it sounds like it would just make it for 3 (10 sq. ft per bird) as it is now but I always like to allow more. Also, a friend has brown leghorns who are apparently particularly flighty (they roost in the rafters 15 feet up and fly over a 6 ft fence to wander around the yard regularly) so I wonder if they would hit their heads/break their necks in a much shorter space? His seem kind of semi-hysterical and flighty anyway... Maybe you could make it at least as tall as the coop?

 

[scooter147]

I would say it's not tall enough. Brown Leghorns grow the large combs and I can see a bunch of bloody scracthed up combs in your future and then possible cannabilism.

 

[cheryl98117]

Here are the pictures of the grow out run as it sits in my yard.

And just because they are too cute gotta add a couple of the chicks in their run also.

The coop itself is going to be aprox 4' tall x 4'6" long x 3' wide. The entire run will be covered in wire "top and sides," with at least a foot wide skirt around the edges. If I made the run 4' high, would this give them adequet "sp" space?

 

[RexScora]

Hello Cheryl98117. I am currently building a coop with an 18 inch high run under the coop but I am fearful it won't be enough head room once my girls get older. I was wondering how you fared with your run once your girls got full sized. Was 1 foot, 6 inches enough head room for them? Thank you!