How Much Coop and Run Space Do I Need?

By Leigh -

Quick answer:

Coop:

• 4 square feet (sq ft) of floor space per Large Fowl (LF) chicken
• 3 square feet of floor space per Bantam chicken
• 1 square foot of ventilation per 10 sq ft of floor space

Perch Space:

• 12 inches of perch space per LF chicken
• 9 inches of perch space per Bantam chicken

Perch Type:

• Perches should be positioned at least 12” to 18” away from the wall for head/tail space.
• Chickens need a minimum of 18" to 24" of head space above the perch. Remember - they have to fly up there and you don't want them banging their heads each time they jump for the roost!
• 2”x2” boards with the edges rounded off may be used for bantam breeds
• LF do best roosting on the 4” side of a 2”x4” with rounded edges.
• Natural branch roosts may also be used (minimum diameter of 3”-4” (but not all types of wood are healthy for chickens, so check prior to using.)

Nest Boxes:

• 12”x12” is the standard size for nest boxes, but your chickens won’t mind slightly smaller or larger boxes (provided they fit comfortably).
• Minimum of 1 nest box for every 3 laying hens

Run:

• 10 Sq Ft of ground space per LF chicken
• 7.5 Sq Ft of ground space per Bantam chicken

It can be confusing for those new to chickens to wade through the variety of information on proper coop and run square footage for their flock. Manufacturers selling small “doll house” coops often tout their structure as being able to house up to “X” amount of birds… and often those numbers are misleading or not appropriate for the birds or the buyer’s needs.

In general, you should have a minimum of 3-4 square feet of floor space for each large fowl (LF) bird in your flock and 2-3 square feet for bantam breeds.

Note I specify “floor space.” What this means is that it doesn’t really matter how tall your coop is – just how wide and how deep. Thus, a 4’x4’ coop that is 3’ high can house just as many birds as a coop that is 4’x4’ and 7’ high. 

During the day, chickens spend most of their time on the ground. In the event of bad weather when the chickens don’t want to leave the safety of their coop, crowded floor space may cause tension and bullying.

Imagine two scenarios. In the first, you are stuck in a standard-size elevator with 10 people… and one of those people a bully who has decided he simply does not like you. The more bored or stressed he gets, the more that bully picks on you. Yikes, right?

Now imagine you are with those same 10 people in a diner. It is still a limited space, but if you stay in one corner of the diner eating your food, reading your book and minding your own business, the bully is less likely to move from his seat to pick on you. You can also move away if he comes near. More space means it will be harder for him to corner you.

Yes – you can put more birds into a smaller space, but the more crowded your birds are, the more problems can occur, such as feather picking, over-breeding of one hen (if you have a rooster) and even cannibalism.

As for run space, 10 sq ft of ground space per LF chicken and 7.5 sq ft per bantam is generally sufficient. This also depends on your ability to allow your flock to free range. If your flock is able to free range all day, every day, then you may not need much of a run at all. Yet even for those who free range almost all the time, there still may be times your birds need to be confined on a pretty day. Perhaps there is a hawk that has decided to make a nest in a nearby tree and feast upon your flock, or perhaps a stray dog has been frequenting your property. It’s a wise thing to have a “safe place” for your birds to be outside when they can’t free range.

On the other hand, of your flock is rarely able to free range or only free range for a couple hours a day, you will want a bigger run. They need room to stretch their legs, scratch, find bugs and avoid other flock members when necessary. While the coop is like a chicken dormitory for sleeping, the run is the place they will be in for the majority of their active waking hours. 

Providing plenty of perches, stumps, a dust bath and other “chicken furniture” can go a long way to alleviate boredom and stress-related flock issues.

The last thing to consider when building your coop and run is just how addictive chickens are. If you can, build a larger coop than you think you will need… coops have a funny way of filling themselves up rather quickly!

 

Happy chickening!

- Leigh 

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Horse Trailer to Chicken Coop Transformation - Part II

By Leigh -

See Part I here if you missed it!
 

So if you recall from my last post, I had the crazy idea to buy and up-cycle an ancient, rusty horse trailer into a chicken coop... with only the help of my husband and rather unwilling teenage son. 

My husband is 6'3" and was great for sanding the ceiling inside the rusty trailer and cutting out large hunks of iron meant for the containment of horses and their tack. I stand at exactly 5'0" (that's 15hh in horse-talk) so I was thankful for his assistance in these areas! 

The Hubbs also helped me with much of the woodwork stuff for the grow-out pen and isolation pens. And while he and I make a great team (perhaps vaguely reminiscent of Mutt and Jeff), he would probably tell you that little 'ol Leigh did the bulk of the design planning, sanding, scraping, taping, caulking, painting, grunting, moaning and groaning. (It'll be some time before my back forgives me for abusing it so! LOL)

And just this past weekend my 18-year-old son exclaimed, "Geez, Mom! Look at your hands! You have manly construction worker hands! Really little manly construction hands!"

Thanks, sweetie! You are one of the reasons some animals eat their young... And just for that I'm posting this photo of mid-paint I told you I deleted. Love you!:

So anyway... 

The very back (the part that used to be able to hold 2 horses) is 5' x 6'8". There are "escape doors" on either side originally installed so one could lead a horse in and then both duck and climb to "escape" out the little side portal, and then fall off the running board just below and break one's ankle right before the "big show." These ankle-breaking windows are perfect for warm weather ventilation!

We installed hardware cloth-covered "screen doors." They will allow a good cross-breeze to come through, but prevent raccoons and the like from floating in on the breeze and feasting upon our flock.  We thought about just covering the area with hardware cloth and doing without opening screen doors, but one just never knows when one might need a quick means of breaking ones ankle! So we put the screen doors on hinges and put raccoon-proof locks on the inside of the trailer... so that any raccoons that successfully chew their way through the steel sides of the trailer and gain entry will not be able to open these doors and fall and break their ankles.

I mentioned in the original post that I am a stickler for ventilation - especially because I plan to house my birds in a giant metal box. Virginia does not get as hot as Texas, but it does get pretty darn warm in the summers.

In the next picture you can just make out the ceiling vent in the main part of the trailer. I am hoping all this ventilation paired with a light-colored roof will help keep this coop cool when it gets hot outside.

To keep costs down, we used branches from a fallen tree as perches.

And what do you think about our fancy-shmancy nest boxes?? Our man's trash... is a nest box unit, baybeeeeee!

The bottom and middle rows have mini perches to make it easier for the birds to get in and out. I wish these perches could have been a bit larger, but the unit is made of cheap particle board and something heavy would just tear out. I'll probably use the top shelves to store a bit of scratch and the like. (You can never have too much storage!)

Later I'll put bedding in, and then it will be done...

And while I say "done" I use the term lightly... because now we're thinking that the front room works so well staying warm even on the coldest nights, we'll build a brooder for the incubator chicks on top of the grow out pen! When ever we get a chance to actually do that, I will post updated pictures!

Here is a video "tour" of the coop. I forgot to show the storage area... bummer. But you'll get the idea from the rest:

 

    

- Leigh 

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