How To Build The Right Size Chicken Coop

How to build the right size right chicken coop for your needs

When it comes to chicken coops, options are plentiful. Whether you decide to make something from scrap material for a small enclosed space, or buy a more expensive prebuilt coop for a large field, there's a few things you'll need to consider before getting started with your chicken coop.

First of all, you will need to consider the key features of the coop. These are the size, protection from predators, roosting poles, ventilation, and nest boxes.

Will your chickens be living full time in the coop, or have access to an outside run or wide open fields? Will you need a moveable coop that you can relocate easily whether moving home or making use of fresh ground?

Once you know the answers to this, you can decide on the square footage, based on the number of chickens you have or are planning to buy. It's always better to go for a larger coop, so that you have the option for your chickens to breed or buy in more at a later stage. However, prebuilt chicken coops are often more expensive and quite often, you'll be paying too much for materials.

The general rule is that chickens which have access to an outdoor run should have 2-3 square feet per bird inside the coop, and approx 4 square feet per bird in the run.

If your birds are going to be couped up all winter, you'll need more space inside the coop, at around 5-10 square feet per chicken. More space will also help prevent pecking and fighting problems too.