Question about square footage

[JessHall]

I am building an open chicken coop with a little roosting/laying shelter in it. If the birds are just going inside to roost or to lay, how many square feet does it need to be completely enclosed? The majority of the coop will be the run. My birds are all large breeds.
Thanks for the help

 

[SpringChickens]

Coop should be 4 sq. feet/bird

 

[JessHall]

The entire coop? Inside and out? Total square footage? For example, IF i have 10 birds - 10 x 4 =40sq ft. So does the inside have to be 40 and the run part 40 as well totaling 80 sq ft?!

Or can I get away with the inside being 20 sq ft, and the outside being 30?

 

[morelcabin]

Where you are, in California, they can be out all winter so all you need really as an indoor part would be 2sq ft per bird, then give them a good sized run

 

[SpringChickens]

Since you are in CA, your birds will probably have access to the inside and outside of their coop year round, so you don't need 4 sq. feet just on the inside, it can be inside and outside.

That said, I would recommend having a larger area total. For the short period where I had my chickens at a density of 4 sq. ft. each, they pecked at each other quite a bit. I would recommend significantly more space (8+ sq. ft/bird), unless they free range quite a bit.

Others may tell you differently, but I've found this is what keeps my birds happiest. The more perches/roosts you have, the less square footage you need, too.

 

[SC_Hugh]

Quote:
I am in CA (Coastal Mountains) and my chickens will be able to go out into their run year round. My 4 chickens have a 28 sq feet coop (converted playhouse) and 32 sq feet run with access to both all day. By minimum calculations, my coop is a good size and my run is a little undersized. My hens are 6-8 weeks old and I am designing a chicken tractor and also another addition to my 4'x8' run.

By minimum calculations, your 10 chickens should have a 40 sq feet of coop (or more) and 100 sq feet of run (or more). Use quality 1/2" hardware cloth for fencing, not chicken wire.

--Hughster