Top Things to Plan For a Large Chicken Coop

You are going to raise chicken and build a coop for them but do not know what to do and how to do it right. Then this article is for you. A large chicken coop can be best for a large numbers of chickens. Read on this article to have some basic information to successfully build a chicken coop.

 

Chicken coop plans come in all styles and sizes. Small chicken coops are generally for the backyard enthusiast who wants to raise 3-8 birds or so. If your plan is to raise more than 6 birds then plan to be looking at larger chicken coop plans. As a general rule 4 sq. ft per bird should be used for standard size birds and 3 sq. ft per bird for bantams. This will give a rough estimate of the size of the chicken coop plans that should be considered. As an example 6 standard size chickens would requires 24 sq. ft of coop space minimum.

 

The above estimate would work perfectly if chickens were all that went into a coop – but there are other things that need to be considered:

 

Nesting boxes- Nesting boxes can be made to either sit inside the coop on the floor or attached the wall. They can also be made to hang off the back or front of the coop on the inside. A good size for a nesting box is 1’x1’x1′. One nesting box for every four hens is required.

 

Roosts-Chickens’ natural instinct is to nest up high, away from predators. One square foot of roosting space for each chicken should be adequate..

 

Food and water- Floor space is required for food and water. Both waterers and feeders should be away from the roosts and up off the floor, as chickens tend to scratch for feed and will otherwise scratch floor shavings and feces into their feeders and waterers.

 

The last thing that needs to be factored in is an outdoor run for the chickens. Chickens need space, like any living creature, and have the natural instinct to scratch around looking for food. Just like the inside of the coop, chickens need a certain amount of room. A good rule of thumb to use for a chicken run is 10 sq. ft for standard chickens and 8 sq. ft for bantams. This needs to be a fenced area so that the chickens will be protected against predators.