Is a double decker coop a good or bad idea?

[ATGATT]

I'm in the process of building my first chicken coop. It started with a large dog house which I bought from a neighbor. I got to thinking it was too small for the amount of birds I wanted and found I needed 4 square feet per bird. My current square footage will allow for six, but I would like to have 10. Since I have my coop raised about 3 feet off of the ground, can I add a lower level to increase my square footage? Also, does the area of the nesting boxes count when calculating square footage of the coop?

Thank you for your help.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Is this an ordinance requirement that you are trying to meet? Or is this just some advice that was being promoted here by a poster? :/

 

[limited25]

The area of the nesting box does not count when calculating space.

 

[ATGATT]

Is this an ordinance requirement that you are trying to meet? Or is this just some advice that was being promoted here by a poster?

I'm not sure if I found the 4 sq. ft. suggestion here or elsewhere, but there is no ordinance requirement.

 

[MeepBeep]

Sure you can add a lower area, but chickens by nature like 'high'areas and you might find no one using the lower area, but you could relocate the nesting boxes to a lower area and free up some space up top...

 

[junebuggena]

One big potential issue is ventilation. And you can get away with a coop that's a bit too small if you live somewhere with perfect weather year-round. If you live somewhere where weather will keep them in for days at a time, it will cause problems. Build an appropriately sized coop for the number you want rather than try to squeeze too many into too small a space.
And 4 sq ft of coop space is just a guideline for medium-sized breeds, like Leghorns. Larger breeds need more room. And some individuals do not tolerate close quarters well. Nobody has ever regretted build too big of a coop.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I'm not sure if I found the 4 sq. ft. suggestion here or elsewhere, but there is no ordinance requirement. 

Ok sounds good.

The only time my girls go into the coop is to lay eggs or roost over night. They go in one or two at a time for both purposes. They will need enough space to roost comfortably, and enough nest boxes so they can lay eggs.