# Is Our Coop Big Enough?



## Texasgirl (Feb 19, 2013)

Our plans were to build a chicken coop/rabbit hutch duplex. About 5 weeks ago 13 Rhode Island Red chicks and 1 free Buff Lace Polish chick arrived in the mail. They have been living in the kitchen ever since. Then last week a friend in town offered us all her chickens. On Thursday we brought home 11 hens and 2 roosters. Everyone is content in their new coop which has 8 nesting boxes. I collected my 13 egg this morning. But we are starting to wonder if this coop will be big enough when the baby chicks grow up. Our plans are to let the chicks free-range during the day and lock them up at night. Do you think this coop will be big enough, especially on bad weather days when we choose not to let them out, for 25 hens (if the free chick turns out to be a hen) and 2 roosters or should we just forget about the rabbit hutch for now and build another coop?









The coop is not completely done, just done enough to put the chickens in.
















This last pic is the other half of the coop/future rabbit hutch.


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## Apyl (Jun 20, 2012)

What are the measurements? I give 3 sq ft per bird in my coop, some people do 4 sq ft. If you free range you can go alittle less coop space since they will have plenty of room to move around during the day. If you plan to have a run/pen then go with more coop space and as much run/pen space as you can with a min of about 10 sq ft per bird in run/pen space. Of course this is my opinion and other may argue that their birds are fine with less space or may need more, either way I'd rather be safe and give them space than have them start killing each other because of over crowding.


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## Texasgirl (Feb 19, 2013)

8 feet by 8 1/2 feet not including nesting boxes.


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## Apyl (Jun 20, 2012)

With your measurements you have 2.5 sq ft per bird. With free ranging they should be fine.


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## diontree (Jun 16, 2013)

I think you are fine. It would be good to have a covered outside area so they still can go outside in the winter when the snow is deep. My coop is 6 x 10 and I have 20 in there. The coop is raise so the birds can get under it in the winter.


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## Texasgirl (Feb 19, 2013)

The one thing I do not need to worry about is deep snow. When it does get cold enough to snow, we just get a dusting. Snow is a rare event.


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## ReTIRED (Mar 28, 2013)

*"Is our Coop big enough?"
*Of course not. You WILL get MORE chickens!
Build another Coop.
*Ha-Ha !!!
*-ReTiRED-


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## Hubbard25 (May 14, 2013)

Hey I've got a 10' x 10' dog pen I made my coop out of, with 13 chickens do I have enough room? And they free range.


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## diontree (Jun 16, 2013)

Plenty if they free range


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