Will it be big enough?

[CoyoteMagic]

I'm already looking ahead to the winter even though spring is just now upon us.

I'm going to put the kids into tractors for the summer. Probably 3-4 per tractor. That way I can move them all around during the summer and make the most use out of the scratching and poop thru the yard and gardens.

I'm looking at building a coop using pallets. Use the pallets for the basic support of the coop and cover it all in particle board.

Question is.....

Will a 8X4ft coop be big enough for 12 birds for the winter?
I plan on plenty of roosts and nest boxes and they will have access to a 10X10 enclosed chainlink dog run during the day. I don't plan on using insulation. It does get a bit chilly here outside of Charlotte in the winter but not all that bad.

So whacha think?!

 

[justusnak]

Seems it may be a bit small for 12. They need 4 sq ft per bird....that will house 8. ( standard size hens)
8 x 4 = 32 sq ft divide by 4(sq ft they need) = 8 hens comfortably. So, you need 48 sq ft. I can't remember the sq ft for outside...but I think its more. Like 7 sq ft. So...12(hens) x 7(sq ft) = 84. Im not really sure about the outside tho. Maybe someone els can help ya there? Have fun building, and get lots of pics!