Just how much space do chickens need?
This is a very important consideration when you are researching your coop buying options. The space that chickens have to roam, stroll, sleep and play can be crucial to their health and development as well as to the well-being of the flock as a whole.
Cutting Through the Chicken Coop Confusion
If you are new to the chickening world, it can get very confusing when you start to be faced with all kinds of numbers and ad copy when reviewing and researching your chicken coop options.
For example, when a supplier is touting their cute ‘dolls house’ style coops they will simply state that the structure is suitable for ‘up to X chickens’ and leave it at that.
The basic dimensions will then be printed somewhere, but they may not mean a lot and too often manufacturers overstate the real capacity of the chicken coop on offer. Falling for the ‘hype’ could be a big mistake though. The one thing that all chickens need is enough room. Otherwise, you end up with the kinds of terrible conditions you read about in those terrible news stories about battery farms.
The Importance of Floor Space for Chickens
There is, in the chickening world, a very basic rule of thumb about ‘safe space’. What Size Chicken Coop is Best: You need a minimum of 3-4 square feet per bird of floor space for large chickens. And 2-3 square feet per chicken for smaller bantam breeds.
The term ‘floor space’ is important to note here to work out the number of chickens you can have in your coop. How high the coop size is really is not too much of a consideration, what is more important is that it is wide and deep enough. This means that a 5×5 coop that is three feet high can house as many chooks as one that is 5×5 but 7 feet high. The latter might be higher, but that’s more about aesthetics for humans than quality of life for chicks.
Why is having adequate floor space so very important, especially if the chickens also have a nice big run and lots of free range time? Think about it in these terms. You are stuck in a lift with ten people. And one of those people is a bit of a bully and he decides to pick on you. Because the lift is stuck he’s bored, has a go at you and you really have no place to escape to.
What Size Chicken Coop is Best?
Now imagine the same scenario but in a restaurant in a rain storm. The bully is still there, the ten people are still there but you have more space to work with and can sneak off to a corner table to finish your soup in peace, away from the meanie, before heading out when the sun comes back.
Life in a chicken coop can be similar. Without enough floor space, a dominant bird will often begin picking on others. If the weather is nasty out and an escape to the run is not desirable the chances are that one of the birds is going to get hurt. Or at least, very stressed out, which, just as is the case for humans, is very bad for their health.
Room for Added Extras in your Chicken Coop
If your living room was completely empty you’d be rather lost and bored. But you wouldn’t dream of leaving it empty, as that would just be silly. And while a fully furnished chicken coop is overkill – hens generally don’t need overstuffed sofas and mini TVs – in order for them to be happy and content. But chickens do need a few extras in their coop.
Nests are a must, or at least the space in which the birds can create their own. They also need a nice dust bathing area and some room to peck around, again, even if they do have a nice big run outside. After all, you don’t spend all of your time in your garden do you, even if it is a nice big one.
You want to make sure you also up an outdoor run for your chicken to enjoy the grass and dirt area for them to roam in and be free range chickens.
What Size Chicken Coop is Best
Going back to that actual shopping trip (even if it’s online) and all those measurements you are going to encounter. Here are some to keep in mind:
The Actual Chicken Coop Size:
You Need:
- 4 sq ft of floor space for large chickens
- 3 sq ft of floor space for bantams and smaller chickens
Perch Space:
- 12″ of perch space for large chickens
- 9″ of perch space for bantams and smaller chickens
Chicken Coop Nesting Boxes
A nesting box should be at least 12″ x 12″ and there should be one box for every three laying hens.
Finally, here’s one more consideration to think about. Chickening is addictive. Often three become six, six become twelve just because, well, the more the merrier. If you do happen to end up with a chicken coop that’s a little too big it’s better than too small. ‘Filling it up a bit’ will be rather good fun anyway.
