Our new coop is kind of odd dimensions - 5'x21' and 7' tall (we were working with some prebuilt 5'x7' sheds and put them end to end to form one side of the run). Since it's so tall and narrow I planned to make sort of "shelves" on each end 2' deep x the 5' width of the coop. The bottom level would be 2' tall for storage for shavings, middle level would be 1½'tall for 4 nest boxes (on each end), top level would be 3½' tall for roosts with a poop board to protect nest boxes.
That leaves an area 5'x17' of empty floor space in the middle. How many chickens could I put in a coop this size? Of course, I can add more nest boxes or roosts elsewhere. I'm just curious if the height makes any difference with the rule of thumb that each chicken needs about 4 square feet of coop space. By that rule I could have 26 chickens, would have plenty of nests but need to put in some more roosts.
There will be an attached run about 21'x17'. Food and water will be in the run covered with an extension of the coop roof.
That leaves an area 5'x17' of empty floor space in the middle. How many chickens could I put in a coop this size? Of course, I can add more nest boxes or roosts elsewhere. I'm just curious if the height makes any difference with the rule of thumb that each chicken needs about 4 square feet of coop space. By that rule I could have 26 chickens, would have plenty of nests but need to put in some more roosts.
There will be an attached run about 21'x17'. Food and water will be in the run covered with an extension of the coop roof.
Last edited:
