The first thing to consider is the coop size.Ĭhickens do not like being crammed in a coop. Meticulous notes about measurements, materials and more will ensure you can avoid hiccups. If you want to plan the entire thing yourself, you’ll want to make sure you’re taking as much information down as possible. The best thing you can do to avoid major setbacks is to plan, plan, and plan some more! As luck would have it, we have a great guide that features a bunch of different coops and their plans so you can hit the ground running. In this guide we’ll go through the different things you’ll need to consider when building/buying a chicken coop.Ĭhapter 1: Building Your Own Chicken Coop Providing shelter for your chickens is vital for a number of reasons: When thinking about raising backyard chickens, one of the most important things (second only to the chickens themselves) is where they will be housed. Or read below for a short(er) summary of chicken coops. There is a clear distinction in cost because you’ll need less space and will use much less food than with a regular-sized flock. Usually about ¼ the size of a regular chicken. Regular is exactly what it sounds like, but a Bantam Chicken is miniature. We separated the costs into two specific sections based on whether you’ll have Bantam Chickens or regular. Predators can run riot with 100% free-range chickens, so we recommend against using your yard for the majority of the day. If you plan on having your chickens outside of the run and the coop for most of the day, we suggest being at home for it. They may also eat here depending on where your feeders and waterers are placed. The coop is the indoor space that the chickens will use to sleep, lay eggs and hide from predators or an annoying roommate. Chickens prefer to spend most of their time outdoors, so providing as much space as you can for the run is ideal.
The chicken run is a fenced-in area connected to the coop where chickens can roam around. The Quick(ish) Summary We Told You About! Run
CHICKEN MATH EXPLAINED PDF
You can download a free PDF of Ultimate Coop Guide here to read later and make notes on if you’re a printed paper person. This is the bare essentials that any coop requires to function.īelow is a quick(ish) summary on coops but if you want to do a deep diver, here is our Ultimate Coop Guide.
The budget for the coop itself ranges from:įeeder/Waterers will range from $20 to $200. We estimate costs by running some super nerd math based on each variable. The square footage of the ideal coop for you depends on the size of your flock and where they spend the majority of the daytime.ĭo they have a large run or are they allowed to free-range? These factors all play a part in determining the ideal chicken coop size.Ĭalculate the ideal square footage for your future chicken coop below.ĬLICK HERE FOR ULTIMATE CHICKEN COOP GUIDEĪbove is a quick ‘back of the napkin’ calculator to help you ballpark costs for your backyard farm. A coop that is too small causes overcrowding and bullying.
Having the right size chicken coop is not only efficient but also dictates the quality of life for your flock.Ī coop that is too large can get too chilly in the winter, resulting in more cleanup for you. Before you build or buy a chicken coop, you need to make sure it's going to be the right size.