Size of coop

[Trenek3]

I designed and built a 4'x8' raised (2') A-frame chicken coop. I have a flock (3 weeks old at the moment) of 15 chickens, soon to be 13 because two are meat hens. There are 3 nesting boxes. They will be free-range. Is this coop large enough for my flock?

 

[Pyxis]

Technically you want four square feet of space per bird in the coop, so a 4X8 coop is big enough for 8 chickens. However, you might be able to get away with having more than that depending on how you are keeping them and your climate. If you are in a place with long cold winters or a lot of rain they are going to want to spend a lot of time in the coop and you will need a bigger one. If you are in an area with a mild climate and plan to just have them in the coop at night for sleeping you may be okay.

 

[4 the Birds]

+1

The downside of A frames is the lack of higher space for roost bars. That same size coop as a cube may allow for a couple of rows of roost bars whereas the A frame may not. I would ensure that 15 chickens have at least 15 lf of roost bar space. I like to create even more that the 1 lf/chicken of "rule of thumb" roost space in the coop to ensure that chickens on the bottom of the pecking order are not assaulted too much. Plenty of space is especially advised with multiple roosters that tend to squabble.

 

[Trenek3]

Thank you. It's pretty mild here so I should be okay until I get another built. I really liked the look of the a-frame but have realized the amount of "head" room I'm lacking. Just an excuse to build another