Sizing guide

How big should a chicken coop be?

The short answer: plan on roughly 3โ€“4 sq ft per hen inside the coop and about 10 sq ft per hen in the run. These are common rules of thumb, not hard laws. Breed, climate and how much your birds free-range all change the math.

Why walk-in coops make sense past about 10 hens

Once you're cleaning a coop for a dozen or more birds, crouching through a hatch gets old fast. A walk-in coop lets you stand up inside to rake bedding, fill feeders and gather eggs. Many also have room to store feed and tools.

Questions

How much space does a chicken need?

A common rule of thumb is about 3 to 4 square feet per standard-size hen inside the coop, plus about 10 square feet per hen in the run. Builders set their own recommended flock size for each model, and that's the number we list on every coop.

Should I size up?

Most chicken keepers end up adding birds. If you plan to grow your flock, pick a coop rated for a few more hens than you have today.

Do bantams need less space?

Yes. Bantam breeds need roughly half the space of standard-size hens, so a coop holds more of them.

Walk-in coops to start with

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