Just starting!

[Ladywithchickens]

What size coop & run would you suggest for 5/6 Orpington hens?
Thank you for any suggestions!♡

 

[cavemanrich]

There are many factors to determining size. Let me list some of them.
Your location,, weather, climate
Will chickens be confined to ""coop only"" for extended time.
Walk-in or raised
Will chickens be allowed to free-range besides in run
Will feed and water be inside, or outside in run
How much room do you have in your yard/ grounds
Will you have overhead roof/netting over run area


For a general idea,,,, I would suggest a coop 4 feet x 8 feet x 6 foot height,, walk-in.
My suggestion on those sizes, is simple. Consider the standard size of lumber. If you were to build something lets say 3 x 7. that means you simply would have to cut off 1 foot in each dimension, and most likely throw away those cut-offs.
Make a secure run calculating 10 square feet per chicken. Larger is always better.
Feel free to ask anything else. There is a whole flock of peeps here on BYC willing to help with IDEAS and ADVICE
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and

 

[Acre4Me]

Agree with above, try for the 4 sq ft/bird inside (more if you think they may end up spending days inside due to extreme weather), and 10 sq ft/bird outside. Of course if you are close, but not quite to these ideals, you can add in things to break up line of sight: pallet leaning, tree/potted plant (that they cannot get destroy), roosts, platforms. In addition to what @cavemanrich says, I would add that your micro-climate, and specific locations available in your yard are important.

We are in OH (cold, windy spot due to farm field across street and behind us), wet often - especially this past fall/winter/spring. We built an elevated coop behind out barn, utilizing an old dog run. This protects them from the west winds (aka "winter"). Thankfully we elevated it 2.5' above the ground, as it stays dry .... although a recent driving rain of obnoxious levels actually drove rain INTO the one corner of the elevated coop and made the shavings very damp in that corner - This was an intense storm that dumped a lot of water - can't imagine if the coop had been on the ground as that corner of the run was clearly inundated with water for a brief time during the nighttime storm. However, that is our micro-climate and specific site issues. Some people in very hot and dry climates struggle to provide shade throughout the day and construct only 2 or 3 sided coops for maximum ventilation (but still enclosed with HWC for protection).

Tell us a bit more info if you want. Good Luck.

 

[Ladywithchickens]

There are many factors to determining size. Let me list some of them.
Your location,, weather, climate
Will chickens be confined to ""coop only"" for extended time.
Walk-in or raised
Will chickens be allowed to free-range besides in run
Will feed and water be inside, or outside in run
How much room do you have in your yard/ grounds
Will you have overhead roof/netting over run area


For a general idea,,,, I would suggest a coop 4 feet x 8 feet x 6 foot height,, walk-in.
My suggestion on those sizes, is simple. Consider the standard size of lumber. If you were to build something lets say 3 x 7. that means you simply would have to cut off 1 foot in each dimension, and most likely throw away those cut-offs.
Make a secure run calculating 10 square feet per chicken. Larger is always better.
Feel free to ask anything else. There is a whole flock of peeps here on BYC willing to help with IDEAS and ADVICE
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and

 

[Ladywithchickens]

Thank you! I live in Northern MN, The hen house will be secure with a solid roof, and a large run fenced in with hardware cloth, including the top. I am planning on 5-6 Orpington hens. I will also allow free roam. The hen house is being made from a started shed my hubby was building, and in a large triangle shape... 36 Sq ft. I plan on 2 nest boxes and a few different levels of roosts. The hen house will have insulation, as we already have it, and under the eaves will have hardware cloth for vents all the way around. How does that sound?

 

[cavemanrich]

Sounds GOOD.
Post some pix if you can and ask as much as need.