What size coop for tiny chickens?

[Jenbirdee]

How much space each do chickens this small need? And how much run space each ? She is full grown

 

[thecatumbrella]

Is that a Serama?? Oh my goodness, what a cutie patootie! What's her name?

Some people may disagree, but I give my bantams the same space I'd give my large fowl. If they're enclosed most of the time, I like a minimum pen size of about 9x12ish, even for just a couple bantams. That gives you space to add some chicken furniture/perches and an extra feeding station. Bigger is always better, just in case you want to add more little chicken nuggets.

 

[Jenbirdee]

She belongs to a friend, and her son named her ‘Baby Girl’
She hatched 2 clutches of her eggs this year and are willing to sell or trade me for a few of them.

 

[Jenbirdee]

Ok so I will need some plans for a small coop easy on pocketbook

 

[MROO]

Is that a Serama?? Oh my goodness, what a cutie patootie! What's her name?

Some people may disagree, but I give my bantams the same space I'd give my large fowl. If they're enclosed most of the time, I like a minimum pen size of about 9x12ish, even for just a couple bantams. That gives you space to add some chicken furniture/perches and an extra feeding station. Bigger is always better, just in case you want to add more little chicken nuggets.

Bantams seem to fly better (or at least more often) than standards, so my little Nankins get the full-space allotted for bigger birds.

 

[Ridgerunner]

How many are a few? All females? I don't like to look at it as "What is the teeniest tiniest space I can shoehorn these chickens in?" but more to determine how many you will have and how can I supply ample room. Also, instead of just looking at the chickens and their needs, how can I make it easier for me? You are important also.

In Maryland, you will experience some pretty hot days with high humidity. You will also have days in winter where they are going to be limited in how much they can go outside. You are going to need more coop space in winter than in summer. For chickens you will not have weather that cold, their feathers and down will protect them.

You are going to need ventilation for both seasons. In summer a cool breeze will be nice. In winter you want to keep cold breezes off of them so ventilation should be high where a cross breeze does not hit them on the roof.

You have two choices. You can build a small coop, maybe raised, that you cannot get inside. You need to be able to access all points inside so you are limited in how big these can be. I've seen some 4' x 8' designs that work but you need a few access points. Another issue is that you need some vertical height so you can have the roosts higher than the nests but not so high that they are sitting in a draft from ventilation or bumping against the ceiling.

My preference is something that you can walk into. It needs to be tall enough that you can stand up in it and you need some room to move around. If you are building from scratch most building materials come in 4' or 8' dimensions so it is most economical and you have less cutting and waste if you incorporate those dimensions but a 6' dimension isn't that bad as you can use the cut-offs for nests and such.

For the run, 10 square feet per chicken isn't horrible though I prefer more. If you build a run out of lumber the 4' and 8' dimensions are again most economical and require less cutting. If you use posts and wiring you have a lot more flexibility in how you arrange them.

This link takes you to the "Coops" section of this forum where you can find all kinds of examples of possible coops. Many have plans on how to build them.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/categories/chicken-coops.12/

Good luck, it can be a fun adventure.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Ok so I will need some plans for a small coop easy on pocketbook

@BDutch had a really good idea of converting a children's playhouse. Would be perfect for bantams.

 

[BDutch]

@BDutch had a really good idea of converting a children's playhouse. Would be perfect for bantams.

Not perfect, but not bad at all for my bantams as a second coop. If I had to do it again I would raise it for easier cleaning.
8 small bantams fit in the playhouse with 2 roosts. But its not even spacious enough to keep 4 chickens inside with snow or bad weather .

Atm there are 5 chickens sleeping in the playhouse and 3 in the old coop extension. The old coop has a very small covered run , convenient with bad weather.
My 8 bantams have 15 m2 to run around in a run with strong netting on top. They free range too.
In a colder winter climate with several weeks with snow, the 2 coops and 2.5 m2 covered space is hopefully enough to keep them happy for a week or so. We never have long periods with snow and freezing colds in the Netherlands.

 

[Jenbirdee]

How many are a few? All females? I don't like to look at it as "What is the teeniest tiniest space I can shoehorn these chickens in?" but more to determine how many you will have and how can I supply ample room. Also, instead of just looking at the chickens and their needs, how can I make it easier for me? You are important also.

In Maryland, you will experience some pretty hot days with high humidity. You will also have days in winter where they are going to be limited in how much they can go outside. You are going to need more coop space in winter than in summer. For chickens you will not have weather that cold, their feathers and down will protect them.

You are going to need ventilation for both seasons. In summer a cool breeze will be nice. In winter you want to keep cold breezes off of them so ventilation should be high where a cross breeze does not hit them on the roof.

You have two choices. You can build a small coop, maybe raised, that you cannot get inside. You need to be able to access all points inside so you are limited in how big these can be. I've seen some 4' x 8' designs that work but you need a few access points. Another issue is that you need some vertical height so you can have the roosts higher than the nests but not so high that they are sitting in a draft from ventilation or bumping against the ceiling.

My preference is something that you can walk into. It needs to be tall enough that you can stand up in it and you need some room to move around. If you are building from scratch most building materials come in 4' or 8' dimensions so it is most economical and you have less cutting and waste if you incorporate those dimensions but a 6' dimension isn't that bad as you can use the cut-offs for nests and such.

For the run, 10 square feet per chicken isn't horrible though I prefer more. If you build a run out of lumber the 4' and 8' dimensions are again most economical and require less cutting. If you use posts and wiring you have a lot more flexibility in how you arrange them.

This link takes you to the "Coops" section of this forum where you can find all kinds of examples of possible coops. Many have plans on how to build them.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/categories/chicken-coops.12/

Good luck, it can be a fun adventure.

I think I would like to have 4 hens and one roo. Is that enough hens for one roo?
I Know a lot more about Ducks and geese and large chickens then I do about little bantams.

My big chickens are chocolate English Orpington and I just have 3 with no roo. They have a a 4x4 raised very sturdy house and about 1500 sq feet run. And they’ve been doing great.
I keep them separate from anyone else in the yard they used to be with my Ducks, but they were mean to them ( 3 chickens terrorized 21 ducks)

Now I have my ducks split into two flocks because I have two drakes, and I don’t want to risk them ganging up on any female and drowning her. They are father and son. The father has four girls with him in their own yard and their own coop. The son Drake has all the other ladies in about 3000 sq foot yard with many many obstacles, hiding places, bushes, shady trees, etc.
I’ve had my ducks over 10 years and five of them now are over 10 years old.

And my 3 goose family, of course, has their own yard and house because they like to eat grass, and if the ducks were allowed over there, the grass would be wrecked.

Bantams are a whole new world to me. I have a private run already for them that’s about 450 sq feet.
There is a little children’s Playhouse already in there but it’s one of those plastic ones and I don’t wanna convert that.
I’d like to build them a 4 x 4 raised house like my other chickens have in their area.
I thought that perhaps since my 3 very big chickens do well in theirs that 5 tiny ones would be happy in the same size building?

 

[Jenbirdee]

I forgot to mention that I also have what I call the Hospital room. It’s a finished garage type addition and it’s split into two sections and that’s where I bring who needs shelter. From too much heat or cold or snow or rain or tornado or whatever I can almost fit all of my birds down there. I usually don’t have to bring the geese in. I had my chickens down there for a couple days over the summer when the heat index was 105 and up, but even then they seem to be doing fine. It was just too hot for me. They also have fans in the coops. But I don’t use heat.