What size coop?

[mlynch33]

I need some help & y'all always give such good advice! I currently have 3 silkie hens, 1 cochin hen, and a cochin rooster (all bantam breeds so smaller chickens). All hens are laying daily. I also hatched 7 chicks a week ago & will be keeping any females (so maybe 3 or 4 more hens). I live in Michigan & at Christmas we lost our coop in an ice storm. Winter has been a rough one and the chickens have been in a toddler corral in the garage since then. We decided that when the snow thaws we're going to buy a vinyl shed and convert it to a coop (there is a 10 x 20 enclosed yard they have access to). I need advice on what size shed to get. I am looking at either a 4x6 or 8x10, both have windows and vents for ventilation. The coop I had before was about 3x3 A-frame and never seemed to have enough room! I don't know if I'm now going overboard thinking about the 8x10, I am concerned about the winters up here and the space not being too big for them to keep warm (no heat lamp). I'm also excited because I'm finally going to have room for some nesting boxes! And I bet the hens will be too! The other advantage to the larger shed would be that I can keep their feed bags inside instead of in garbage cans always fighting with the raccoons. Please give me some pros and cons and what you would do!

 

[Granny Hatchet]

what if all 7 are hens? 13 grown chickens need some room.lol and dont forget the chicken math that seems to be adding already. i dont see any cons on a bigger coop. they huddle for warmth .

 

[Coles FreshEggs]

Buy the biggest one, and have to be honest with yourself. Are you really NEVER going to expand your flock past its current size. Always plan ahead! Chickens are quite tolerant of the cold, even bantams. I kept mine in a horse stall with no heat lamp, and that was a 12x12. They were always satisfied. Hope this helps!

 

[aart]

I need some help & y'all always give such good advice! I currently have 3 silkie hens, 1 cochin hen, and a cochin rooster (all bantam breeds so smaller chickens). All hens are laying daily. I also hatched 7 chicks a week ago & will be keeping any females (so maybe 3 or 4 more hens). I live in Michigan & at Christmas we lost our coop in an ice storm. Winter has been a rough one and the chickens have been in a toddler corral in the garage since then. We decided that when the snow thaws we're going to buy a vinyl shed and convert it to a coop (there is a 10 x 20 enclosed yard they have access to). I need advice on what size shed to get. I am looking at either a 4x6 or 8x10, both have windows and vents for ventilation. The coop I had before was about 3x3 A-frame and never seemed to have enough room! I don't know if I'm now going overboard thinking about the 8x10, I am concerned about the winters up here and the space not being too big for them to keep warm (no heat lamp). I'm also excited because I'm finally going to have room for some nesting boxes! And I bet the hens will be too! The other advantage to the larger shed would be that I can keep their feed bags inside instead of in garbage cans always fighting with the raccoons. Please give me some pros and cons and what you would do!

Smaller coops staying warmer is a fallacy, just not true, because you need enough ventilation that the heat wouldn't hold anyway.

Lots of ventilation and more floor space for when they are cooped up during bad winter weather.

Go with 8x10, then you can also partition off part for new chook introductions and have room to store feed and supplies in there.

 

[mlynch33]

Thank you all so much for your advice!