Would This Work? - Check Out My Coop Model:

[TillinWithMyPeeps]

I was thinking about making a coop 2 feet wide, 4 feet long, and 3 feet high.

Would this work for 4 hens?

 

[A.J.'s]

IVe seen horror shows on TLC where grown chickens live 4 to a 12 inch square area.. why not?

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

It would work but, since you in Ohio, Id build it bigger. Cause Im assuming they will spend quite abit of time in there in the winter. Id build it to give them 4 sq ft.

 

[toddy111]

i'd say yes......

 

[orcasislandchickens]

I have a playhouse coop that size (coop house part only) there is also an attached covered run that adds another 4x8 ft of covered and sheltered moving around room in all but the worst weather.

I have 5 bantams in it and they are fine, but 3 full sized hens would be about the limit I would think. It is realy cramped, and I have probably spent more money, time and energy working around the lack of space, than I would have done if I had simply added extra. That 2 ft area makes it hard for the hens to roost without jumping on one another, I had to slant the roost diagonally across the area to avoid the nestbox, when I go to heat it in the realy nasty frozen snowy times it is hard because of the 2' dimension walls being so close together. There is very little space for food and water inside, and there has been a time or two I felt it was necessary. I could go on but...

If I had it to do over again I would build the same thing but maybe make the house part 4x4. I have it fixed up so that one whole 4 ft side opens up for cleaning out shavings etc and I realy like that. I like having the covered run a lot. It is good for them to have a sheltered area in our rainy climate.

This is probably in the "bridge too far" category but I just made storm windows for the run this last huge snowstorm. I ran an extension cord out there and put light bulbs in the coop and run. It gave the girls a florida room and warmed the nest area up. They seem to like it a lot. I will probably keep it enclosed and add another small covered yard along one wall.

If for some space reason though you need only two feet wide you could with a little planning and effort make it work for 2 hens well, and maybe stuff in three in a pinch.

 

[TillinWithMyPeeps]

 

[TillinWithMyPeeps]

 

[TillinWithMyPeeps]

Does anyone like it?

 

[tfpets]

Im not sure how it measures up to the "calculated" living quarters for hens, but that is a really cute set up!! If you build it like that, and they have roost space, nest space, and enough room outside to run around, they wont go stir crazy, they shouldnt get mad at each other and start pecking out of boredom, and it could be perfect!
I think it's cute!
Tina/tfpets
Oh, feeders, waterers, etc....they're gonna need to take up some space to...it is economy sized, so dont forget to budget that in to your wiggle room? Way better than cages though! And Bigger still than some tractors I've seen??
JMO!

Tina/tfpets

 

[TillinWithMyPeeps]

Thanks!

Their food is probably going to go inside, but I will probably put their waterer outside.

They will have fulltime access to the run, so, hopefully they don't feel too "cooped up" all the time.