Question on Height for Coop

[fhlstables]

I have a friend who is going to make me my own little chicken house with attached run. This is going to be for a silky hen and any chicks we put in there.
So in the figuring I need to have this tall enough so that a heat lamp can go on top.
This coop will be outside and I live in the midwest where winters can be nasty so i have to think about this.
How tall should i make it??

For width I figured 2 foot for roosting area and 12 inches for nesting box area.

 

[1muttsfan]

Have you decided on the dimensions of the floor yet? You should plan on about 3 square feet of floor space per bird for bantams, 4 square feet for standard fowl. How many birds do you plan on having?

I also live in the midwest (far north) and do not use heat lamps in the winter for my birds - a well-ventilated, draft-free coop will provide all the protection your birds need.

 

[Queen Bee]

First, I would suggest, you should buy a few buddies for your hen! Chickens are flock animals are much happier with others.. Also, she will be able to snuggle with them during those really cold nights! She will become lonely and bored...

Height should be high enough to allow free flowing ventilation--and not be drafty. Too low and the moisture developed from the heat of a chicken and the cold of the air could be a disaster. Also, you will need a larger coop than someone who doesn't have 'really nasty' winters. She will need room to move around in her coop while the weather is too nasty for her to be outside...Please be careful using heatlamps...

I always suggest people build their coop as large as they can afford.. It will be better/healthier for the chickens, easier to add more chickens, when the 'chicken math ' hits

 

[fhlstables]

OOps wrong thread.

 

[fhlstables]

I already do have chickens but this one I have had to separate b/c she's not happy with the others. she is a little disabled so the other chickens are just too much for her. She's my favorite little thing. I figure she can just hang with us and babysit the chicks we get out of the incubator as she won't mind.

 

[Red Barn Farms]

Well first things first, remember the saying 'big is never big enough'. Remember that 3 sq. foot per bird spacing when making your decision. I'm not sure the price range you are going with but I personally would want the coop to be at least 4 foot tall if not taller. You'd be able to have them roosting at 3 foot inside the coop leaving one foot for head room. Also take this into consideration if you will at a later date be adding a run area as well. Ya'll probably want that at a height which would be comfortable for you when it comes to cleaning time. So base the height of the coop to a equal height for a later outdoor run area.