space needed for chooks

[mitchellfamily]

Hi everyone, we a new here, we want to build a chook house , I was going to get a small shed cut a cat door out of the back of it for there door , and use the main door to collect eggs cleaning e.t.c. how big does the shed need to be for them to sleep , lay in and what size run would best suit 4 hens thanks.

 

[sumi]

Welcome to BYC

The rule of thumb is 4 sq feet floor space per chicken in the coop and 10 sq ft per chicken in the run. You can go smaller, if needed, but with chickens bigger is always better. If you allow them more space the chickens will be happier, stay out of each others feathers and you'll have less behavioural problems to deal with. Especially in winter or when the weather is otherwise and they will want to stay inside. There are some designs in the Coops section that you can look at to give you ideas. You can also post pics of your set up in the Coop & Run - Design, Construction, & Maintenance section and ask for advice and input there. We have some ingenious coop designers here Enjoy the site!

 

[All Henned Up]

Welcome and enjoy!
Steve.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome to BYC!

 

[drumstick diva]