what size should the coop be.....

[chickybuddy100]

Hi ......im getting 12 baby chicks in the mail very soon....there going to be in a brooder for now but that's not for too long ....and I was wandering if you guys could give me some advice on setting up the inside of the outside coop and the size of it FOR TWELVE BABIES......there gonna be free range 90% of the time ...when they get used to there surroundings it will be full time free range ......im gonna make a temporary run until there used to free ranging by themselves .....then I Dont have to be there for them to free range anyway hope I get some advice soon

......thanks ......

 

[ChickenCanoe]

This was just discussed here today.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/977343/wondering-if-my-coop-and-run-is-large-enough

You can also look here.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-much-room-do-chickens-need

Do you have contingency plans for predators while free ranging? Perhaps roosters, LGD or donkey?

 

[thomasboyle]

At a minimum you want your coop to be 50 sq ft or so - 5x10, 6x8 or 7x7. I'd go larger since you may want to get more chickens down the road, so room to expand is good to have. I would also go with a permanent run. While they can free range a lot of the time, if you have predators around - hawks, coyotes etc, you will need a run to put them in for a few days. Same thing is weather is bad, a run is a good thing to have.

 

[chickybuddy100]

This was just discussed here today.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/977343/wondering-if-my-coop-and-run-is-large-enough

You can also look here.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-much-room-do-chickens-need

Do you have contingency plans for predators while free ranging? Perhaps roosters, LGD or donkey?

At a minimum you want your coop to be 50 sq ft or so - 5x10, 6x8 or 7x7. I'd go larger since you may want to get more chickens down the road, so room to expand is good to have. I would also go with a permanent run. While they can free range a lot of the time, if you have predators around - hawks, coyotes etc, you will need a run to put them in for a few days. Same thing is weather is bad, a run is a good thing to have.

Thanks for the information I'm gonna be getting on that starting this weekend ...s. I should keep the run and keep a roo ....thanks ....lol just got the chicks at the post office this morning ....

There's so many bc they had to give me extra males for warmth ...I'll probably keep 1 .....they gave me 6 extra males ...sheeez

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

At a minimum you want your coop to be 50 sq ft or so - 5x10, 6x8 or 7x7. I'd go larger since you may want to get more chickens down the road, so room to expand is good to have. I would also go with a permanent run. While they can free range a lot of the time, if you have predators around - hawks, coyotes etc, you will need a run to put them in for a few days. Same thing is weather is bad, a run is a good thing to have.

X 2 - "chicken math" gets the best of us and it's so much easier to grow your flock if it doesn't require investing in another building project/remodel of the existing setup. It's also cheaper, in the long run, to just build once - even if your flock doesn't expand you can't have too much room when it comes to the amount of space you give your birds, so a coop that is more than the minimum for your current 12 would be a good thing.
The run is a great thing - even when one plans to free range. You never know when you might have need to confine your birds and being able to offer them access to outdoors and fresh air (and extra space) vs. having only the coop itself to contain them in is a good thing.