Basic Chicken Coop Requirements

If you’re planning to build a chicken coop on your homestead or in your backyard, you will first need to be aware of some of the basic chicken coop requirements. These requirements are the same whether you live in the city and building a small coop to hold 6 hens or live in the country and want the coop to keep them safe but plan to have free roaming chickens. By meeting these basic requirements, you will be protecting your chickens and giving them sufficient space to roam.

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Chicken Coop Size

The first consideration is, what size your chicken coop needs to be. Remember the size depends on how many chickens you will keep in it. You don’t want it to be big or too small.

On average, you should have about four square feet per chicken on the inside of the coop to allow them enough space for roaming during the day. However, if they won’t be free roaming birds and spend most of their time in the coop, aim for 10 square feet per hen.

Protect your Chickens from predators

The chickens should also be protected from rodents and predators. First, make sure that when you’re building your chicken coop, there aren’t any openings, holes or gaps large enough for a rodent to get in. You will also want the floor to be solid with a hardware cloth around the coop, about 12 inches deep.

Keep Your Chicken Coop Easy to Clean

One of the basic chicken coop requirements you might not have considered is having a coop that is easy to clean. Raising chickens is a lot of work so don’t add to it by making the task of cleaning the coop more difficult.

Figure out the roosting area where the hens are going to poop the most and place a removable tray underneath that will be easy to remove, clean and replace. You will also need to clean out the bedding every few weeks.

Keep your Chickens Warm (but not too warm!)

Your hens should also be kept warm while in the coop, but not get too hot either. Make sure there is sufficient space for fresh air to flow through the coop. If you have roosting poles in the coop, they’re going to keep warmer than without them. The roosting poles should be two inches wide and have rounded edges, with at least five inches of space between the poles, for each chicken in the coop. Also, make sure not too much air and wind is getting through the coop and causing the hens to become too cold.

How Much Indoor Space do Chickens Need?

Lastly, you should try to have sufficient space for the waterer and the feeder, as well as the proper square feet for your chickens to walk around in the coop. A general rule is to give each chicken 3 to 5 feet of space per chicken inside a coop if they have access to the outdoors.

If you follow these basic chicken coop requirements, you will have happy hens and happy hens produce delicious eggs 🙂

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