Providing the right amount of coop space is absolutely essential to the health and well-being of your flock. Adequate space helps prevent issues like bullying, stress, and disease, but it’s also important to avoid too much space, as this can also lead to problems in the coop.
We’ll cover all of the factors that go into deciding how much space your chickens need (breed, age, climate, etc.) both inside the coop and outside in the run. The chicken run is almost as important (if not more important) than the coop, yet it’s often an afterthought for many. Don’t skip over this essential part!
*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products (including Amazon). Iโll earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my link, at no additional cost to you! Regardless, I only link to products that I personally use on our homestead or believe in.
Why Space Matters for Chickens?
Iโm glad youโre thinking about this because the right amount of space really does matter for chickens. Too much or too little space can impact your flock negatively.
Iโve seen the impact of both and can attest that getting it just right really makes for a happy, healthy flock, and overall, less work for you, too!
Too Little Space in the Coop
A crowded coop is a common occurrence because, well, chicken math is a real thing! Iโm sure weโve all experienced the draw to throw just a few more eggs into the incubator, or rescuing just a few more chicks while at the feed store.
So, what happens? Well, how do YOU feel when you have a house filled to the brim with houseguests for a long period of time? Cranky? Stressed? No privacy for self-care? Things get messy? The sniffles start to go around? Well, chickens are no different!
Chickens need adequate space to engage in normal behavior like dust bathing, scratching, and the like. They also need equal access to essentials like feed, water, and laying boxes. Chickens, like humans, appreciate a little personal space!
Signs of overcrowding
- Pecking at each other, and even cannibalism
- Stress behaviors like egg-eating
- Illness and disease
- Ammonia build-up in the coop
- Guarding of food and water, depriving the ones lower in the pecking order
- Decline in egg-laying
Too Much Space in the Coop
I would definitely say that too little space in the coop is worse than too much, but there are still some negatives to going too big.
The biggest issue is insufficient warmth if you live in a cold climate, even if itโs winterized properly. Chickens generate heat through body warmth and huddling in a compact area, so if you have just a few chickens in a large room, theyโll have trouble keeping heat around them.
Next is the amount of work and resources it takes to clean it. If it takes hours to clean and lots of money to replace the copious amounts of bedding, this may lead to neglect.
Chickens are social creatures. If you only have a few chickens in a very large coop, they may experience isolation, stress, and a decrease in egg production. Lastly, a large coop means more potential entry points for predators.
Signs of an underused coop space
- Frostbite and hypothermia
- Neglected coop cleanouts leading to ammonia build-up, pests and diseases
- Boredom and isolation
- Decline in egg-laying
Indoor Coop Size per Chicken
So, what’s the proper size of chicken coop for your flock? You’ll find different size recommendations throughout the internet, but I am a firm believer that erring to the side of more space is better. This reduces stress, encourages natural behavior, and keeps the coop cleaner overall. All good things!
Of course, too much space isn’t good either (as we talked about above), but I’ve always found my chickens to be healthier and happier with the spacious requirements that I recommend below. Plus, let’s be honest, chicken math will strike, and having extra room will pay off later!
- Bantam breeds: 2 square feet per bird
- Light breeds (layers): 3 square feet per bird
- Heavy breeds (dual-purpose breeds): 4 square feet per bird
As you can see, the breed (size) of chicken really makes a difference! So, if you already own a coop that’s a bit on the small size, be mindful of what breeds you raise and consider sticking with smaller ones if you want as many chickens as possible.
To put this into practice, let’s say you have 10 layer hens like Ameraucaunas or Rhode Island Reds. Then, I would shoot for a coop size that is a minimum of 30 square feet (6′ x 5′ or something like 4’x8′). If you think you might acquire a few more chickens in the future, or hatch some chicks, definitely go a little bigger!
*Please note that if you live in a cold climate like I do (Minnesota) where your birds will spend much of their time indoors for months at a time, I would consider adding 1-2 square feet per bird. However, if you follow my recommendation below to build a covered run, then you’ll find that your birds will want to be outside all day, even on frigid days (making the extra coop space not necessary). It’s worth the effort!
Outdoor Run Size per Chicken
I personally feel like the outdoor run size is almost (if not more) important than the coop. The coop is only meant for sleeping and laying eggs, in my opinion. The majority of their time should be spent outside!
I keep nearly all of their chicken essentials out in the run to prevent problems and encourage them to stay out during the day: feeders, waterers, dust baths, grit, and supplemental calcium. I find that the coop stays cleaner, the risk of frostbite goes down (moisture is the main trigger!), my hens are healthier and happier, and I don’t get rodent infestations or visits from possums.
While free-ranging is a wonderful activity to allow them to get some exercise, forage for greens and protein, and get some fresh air, it’s not always possible:
- In Minnesota, we have snow on the ground 4-5 months out of the year, making foraging impossible.
- You might get lots of rain, which equals muddy conditions much of the year – chickens don’t like to be wet and muddy!
- You may be raising chickens on a city lot where they need to be contained.
- You may travel a lot, so they can’t free range all the time
Thus, having a spacious covered run is a must-have to make this possible and encourage natural behavior. If you can’t go for the full covered run yet, at least provide the space recommendations below and then add a roof later on when you can.
- Bantam breeds: 6 square feet per bird
- Light breeds (layers): 8 square feet per bird
- Heavy breeds (dual-purpose breeds): 10 square feet per bird
See how we built our covered chicken run here!
Come Tour My Coops!
Other Coop Size Considerations
While the above guidelines are going to meet the needs of the majority of chicken keepers, there are still some unique circumstances that we should cover.
Baby & teenage chicks
Baby chicks are certainly MUCH smaller than full-size chickens, so their spacing requirements will be quite a bit less. However, chicks are typically raised in a separate brooder until they are old enough to join the adults in the main coop, so you likely don’t need to use these guidelines when deciding how large to make your coop.
- 0-1 week: 6 square inches of floor space per chick
- 2-11 weeks: 2.5 square feet of floor space per chick
- 12-20 weeks: 5 square feet of floor space per chick
- 21+ weeks: 7.5 square feet of floor space per chick
If you plan to install a brooder inside your coop (which I highly recommend!), make sure to account for the size of your brooder. I love this method because it helps the chicks acclimate to the environment and the adult flock, and it builds a healthy immune system. The brooder box is a great place for a broody hen to raise a clutch of chicks, too!
*If you’re new to raising chicks, make sure to check out my article Raising Baby Chicks – A Beginners Guide!
Broilers
Meat chickens (broilers) are a whole different ball game when it comes to housing and spacing requirements. They are short-lived and typically are only kept in the summer months, so they don’t need a permanent coop. If you plan to raise them on pasture (highly recommended!), they do quite well in mobile chicken tractors that are moved to fresh greens daily.
- Broilers: 3 square feet per chicken (We raise 22 Rangers in an 8×8 chicken tractor and it’s perfect for them!)
Want more information on raising pastured meat chickens? Iโve got you covered! Check out my comprehensive course โRaising Pastured Meat Chickens: From Chick to Drumstickโ where I teach you everything you need to know from what breed to raise, what supplies you need, and how to butcher them humanely (with videos!).
Other Chicken Articles Youโll Love:
- Inside a Chicken Coop: 5 Required Items (and 3 to AVOID!)
- Chicken Coop Winterizing (6 ESSENTIAL Steps!)
- How Long Do Chickens Live (and Lay Eggs?)
- 5 Protein Sources for Chickens (Especially While Molting!)
- Donโt Feed These Foods to Your Chickens!
*Information in this article was referenced from personal experience and/or from my favorite chicken book Storeyโs Guide to Raising Chickens unless otherwise noted.
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