Considerations When Building a Chicken Coop

Reader Contribution by Kirsten Lie-Nielsen and Days Ferry Organics
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This spring we will be building our fourth chicken coop. This time it is because we’re moving to a new farm. Previous renditions have been experiments and expansions, and realizations of various mistakes. There are a few things we’ve learned from trial and error that aren’t included in coop design books.

Our first coop was replaced because it ended up being too small. It’s not that we built the coop too small, at the time it was the perfect for our four hens. The problem is that chickens are like potato chips: you can’t have just one. I’ve never had any trouble filling a coop, only keeping it from getting over crowded.

Space. For their shelter chickens prefer approximately four square feet per bird. The only real risk with a larger coop is warmth, as an open space can be drafty. I would recommend allowing at least a few extra feet for future birds, as well as other considerations. Crowded chickens are more likely to hen-peck their companions, and manure and other debris will build up quickly.

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