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Rena1103 said:
Didnā€™t realize there we specific requirements.
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Very much so. The biggest mistakes I see people make when constructing chicken housing is they are not made big enough, they are not predator proof and there is no where near enough ventilation. The following rules of thumb will help you determine if your chickens coop is going to work:
  • 4 sq ft of floor space per bird
  • 1 linear foot of roost space per bird
  • 1 sq ft of permanently open ventilation per bird that does not allow drafts strong enough to open feathers on roosted birds
  • Additional ventilation should be provided for hot weather in the form of top hinged windows (backed with 1/2" hardware cloth) - if you live in a very hot climate the birds will be MUCH better off in an open air coop
  • no opening in the closed up coop larger than 1/2" (all vents are secured with 1/2" hardware cloth attached with either heavy duty poultry staples or screws and fender washers)
  • doors are secured with something a toddler could not easily open
  • if the birds are contained within a run during daylight hours, it should provide an additional 12-15 sq ft per bird, be constructed of something a large dog could not rip through or a raccoon could not reach through (NEVER chicken wire), be located on high ground and all water diverted away from it to prevent it getting wet, have run litter that slowly decomposes and offers a good substrate for the birds to scratch through or dust bathe in, lots of perches and things to fly up on, perch on and dig around.
I prefer walk-in style coops that use poop boards under the roosts.
 
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