Please help. Building a coop.

[D100putz88]

Hey. So I have 6 chicks that are 3 weeks old. I have a smaller coop that will work for now but I am building a coop for them. I am so confused about how big of a coop I need for 6 chickens. With that being said, I’d like to eventually go to 10-12 birds total in the future so I wanna build for the future. I am reading all these sites and some say 2 square foot per bird, then I read 3 square feet. Then 4 square feet. Super confused. The run is a decent size and they will free range which is 2.5 acres of mostly grass open land. About .75 acres hard wooded. So, how much space do I need per bird for the inside of the coop?

i am still on thé floor so it won’t be hard to switch out 2x4 to accommodate.
Thank you
Derek.

 

[Brooks_]

Four square feet is the great number. With free ranging or a large run it can be smaller. Where are you? Will they get snowed in at times? That's what would make free ranging not compensate for a smaller coop. Also, the coop will have to be large enough for one linear foot of roost per bird. Hope that helps.

and have fun.

 

[D100putz88]

Four square feet is the great number. With free ranging or a large run it can be smaller. Where are you? Will they get snowed in at times? That's what would make free ranging not compensate for a smaller coop. Also, the coop will have to be large enough for one linear foot of roost per bird. Hope that helps.

and have fun.

Hey thanks For the reply, I am in central va, we don’t get that much snow. Maybe 2 times in the winter which is not a lot compared to where I’m from in Maine lol. Anyways, I was thinking around 3 sqft per bird because they won’t be in the coop all the time. If I am wrong I can always go to 4 foot per bird. Ideally I’d like 10 birds which would put me at 40 square foot. Right now I have 6 which is 24 square feet per bird. That’s at 4 square feet per bird. What would you suggest with that information given?

 

[Auntiejessi3]

48sqft if you're planning on 12 in the future, may want to go a bit bigger that chicken math is a doozy plus 1sqft of permanent 24/7/365 ventilation per bird

 

[Brooks_]

Hey thanks For the reply, I am in central va, we don’t get that much snow. Maybe 2 times in the winter which is not a lot compared to where I’m from in Maine lol. Anyways, I was thinking around 3 sqft per bird because they won’t be in the coop all the time. If I am wrong I can always go to 4 foot per bird. Ideally I’d like 10 birds which would put me at 40 square foot. Right now I have 6 which is 24 square feet per bird. That’s at 4 square feet per bird. What would you suggest with that information given?

As big as you really can. 1. chicken math. 2. It would leave some room for separation--injured bird/new bird introductions. Plus nesting box area doesn't count toward square feet.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

4 square feet in the coop,
10 square feet in the run,
1 linear foot of roost,
And 1 square foot of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

These are guidelines, not hard and fast rules, but overcrowding is a major cause of behavioral problems and poor ventilation is a major source of health problems.

 

[Krugerrand]

What size chickens are they? Bantams will need less space. I've been using this as my guide:
http://www.adoptabirdnetwork.com/topics/chicken-space-requirements

 

[neo71665]

Built mine to hold double what I have. That way once they start getting older I can already have their replacements waiting without worrying about where to keep them.

 

[D100putz88]

What size chickens are they? Bantams will need less space. I've been using this as my guide:
http://www.adoptabirdnetwork.com/topics/chicken-space-requirements

Hey. They are 3 Rhode Island reds, 1 welsummer, 1 Americana and a Colombian mixed.

 

[jreardon1918]

Good advice above. And consider additions and subtractions. It is easier to integrate chicks when there is plenty of space. Throw in times when you might restrict free range. Our girls have been in the secure run since a recent hawk attack. Good luck.