Coops & Space Requirements

So now you have your chicks, and they're thriving in the brooder you so carefully set up for them.  They're growing fast, and you need to get their permanent coop ready.  If you're like me, you've read all the books, magazines & internet sites you could find,  so you probably have a pretty good idea of what you want & need.  Here we will go over the basics of coop size, run & run size, and materials.

The first thing that will determine the size of your coop & run is the number & type of chickens you will be keeping.

Heavy Birds (don't cage heavy birds on wire)

• 1-8 weeks, open house 1.0 sq ft, confined housing 2.5 sq ft
• 9-15 weeks, open house 2.0 sq ft, confined housing 5.0 sq ft
• 15-20 weeks, open house 3.0 sq ft, confined housing 7.5 sq ft
• 21 weeks & up, open house 4.0 sq ft, confined housing 10 sq ft

Light Birds

• 1-11 weeks, open house 1.0 sq ft, confined housing 2.5 sq ft, caged 45 sq ft
• 12-20 weeks, open house 2.0 sq ft, confined housing 5.0 sq ft, caged 60 sq ft
• 21 weeks & up, open house 3.0 sq ft, confined housing 7.5 sq ft, caged 75 sq ft

Bantam

• 1-11 weeks, open house 0.6 sq ft, confined housing 1.5 sq ft, caged 40 sq ft
• 12-20 weeks, open house 1.5 sq ft, confined housing 3.5 sq ft, caged 55 sq ft
• 21 weeks & up, open house 2.0 sq ft, confined housing 5.0sq ft, caged 70 sq ft

This minimum requirement chart shows the least amount of space chickens should have when they can't go outside for any extended period of time.  Chickens should be given more space if they never have access to an outdoor run.  

Your outside chicken should run should provide 8-10 sq.ft. per chicken. 

Construction:  There are literally hundreds of different kinds of chicken coops, plans, and ways of re-purposing materials for making coops, but the main things to keep in mind are as follows:

Space, ventilation, protection from weather & predators, roosting space, light, nesting boxes, & a design that is easy to clean are all important. With that being said, you can buy your coop pre-built, build it yourself from a blueprint, or convert a shed or outbuilding that you may already have on hand.  Whatever you decide, your coop should blend in with the surroundings, especially if you have close neighbors that may complain about an unsightly coop.  A simple, but roomy coop will be easier to clean, and should have a people sized door, along with the chicken "pop hole" door.  Both doors should be securely closed at night, to protect the chickens from predators.  Your coop should have at least 1 window, facing south, with a covering of hardware cloth for protection when the window is open.  Your coop also needs adequate ventilation, and this is very important to your chickens health.  Proper ventilation removes dust, gases from ammonia evaporated from droppings, and from carbon dioxide released during breathing, removes moisture from the air, removes heat, and supplies fresh oxygen.  Chickens have a very high respiration rate, which uses up oxygen more quickly than other animals.  Ventilation holes should be along the upper south and north walls, and covered with hardware cloth.  You can simply cut a few holes with a hole saw & cover with hardware cloth, and you can also have a larger hinged ventilation door that you can open & close as the weather dictates.  Your chickens should each have 10-12" of roosting space, so be sure to provide adequate space.  All Chickens roost at night, and keep each other warm on winter nights.  Your roost can be made out of a 2x2, and should be sanded free of any splinters or sharp edges.  Your chickens will also need nesting boxes.  You will only need 1 nesting box for every 4-5 chickens..for some reason they sometimes prefer to all use the same one!  The nesting box should be 12x12x12 for a medium sized breed, and a 10x10x10 will work for bantams.  The nesting box should be kept clean, and have a 3-4" layer of bedding.  We prefer pine shavings, but chopped straw will also work.  Remember, the cleaner the nesting box, the cleaner your eggs will be!  Another important factor for your coop is electricity.  If you can wire your coop with an outlet and a safe light source, do so.  Your chickens will need at least 14 hours of light in the winter to keep laying, and you can put your light source on a timer to come on in the morning to provide this.  It's also nice to have an outlet to plug in a safe fount heater in the cold winter months.  Since we are talking about the coop, we should also talk about bedding, or litter.  The litter can be from many materials, and there are many recommendations, but you will find what works best for you is going to be easily available in your area, and inexpensive.  You can use chopped corn cobs, chopped straw, or pine shavings, just to name a few.  Stay away from cedar chips, as the scent is too strong for birds.  The bedding should be 3-4" deep, and can be totally cleaned out & refreshed weekly, or you can choose the deep litter method, in which you add 1/2 to 1" to the top weekly, and cleaned out totally every 3-4 months.  If you toss in a small handful of scratch or treat every day, the chickens will stir up the bedding for you.  When you clean out the coop, your bedding makes wonderful compost for your gardens!  You can add it directly, or if you have room, start a compost pile & keep adding to it as you go.  Small backyard flocks don't make enough chicken poop to burn your plants, so it's safe to add right away.  

Now we're going to talk about your run.  Your run should be built from treated lumber, as should your coop.  Your run should provide 8-10 sq. ft. per chicken, if they are going to be confined.  If your run is going to be used as a temporary holding area, and the birds are able to free-range, it can be much smaller.  You can build your run with chicken wire, which is fairly inexpensive, but remember, it's also not as strong as hardware cloth, which will keep almost all predators at bay.  Your run should also have a door that can be closed securely and not easily opened by a determined raccoon.  

Keep in mind, while you are thinking of what type of coop you will choose, you also need to choose a location for it.  It's fun to watch your chickens during the day, so you may want to position it to be visible from your kitchen window.  If you keep your coop clean, smell should never be an issue.  Also, keep in mind the distance you will need to carry water, food, and stretch and extension cord for power.  If you have close neighbors, you probably don't want to put the coop on the fence line closest to their house..instead, try to keep it at a good distance.  

I hope you've found this blog post helpful!  There are also countless internet sites that you can visit for coop plans & blueprints.  Thanks for reading, & watch for my next post which will cover feed & water. ~ Alys