The answer to how big of a chicken coop you need is simple… How Much Do You Plan to Love Your Chickens!!?? Sounds like we are kidding, but this really is the way to view it!! In fact, this is one of those controversial topics in the chicken community that is up for debate with many differing opinions.
What we can tell you, is that if you are like most of our Cutest Coops' Clients and you view your chickens as pets, then the math typically goes as follows:
We are pretty sure you can do the necessary math, but just in case, here is an example. If you have 10 chickens, you will want a coop that is at least 30 square feet and a run that is at least 50 square feet! In this scenario, we would suggest you consider a 6x6 coop with a 6x10 run. This way, you are slightly over your necessary square footage, AND you have room to grow!!
That brings us to a very important point... have you heard of Chicken Math?? It is a very real thing! The big joke is that chickens are a bit like potato chips; it's impossible to have just one! Most chicken keepers find that they start with a small flock of somewhere between 3-6 chickens and end up with a flock closer to 12! And because Cutest Coops are an investment, we always like to suggest airing on the side of a bit of potential future flock growth!!
Our last piece of advice is to talk to other chicken keepers! They are filled with insight and information on what to do and what not to do with your first chicken coop or contact our team directly at bawk@cutestcoops.com because we LOVE talking chickens & coops!! Another consideration that is critical in selecting the right size of coop is the kind of interior you are hoping to achieve. For example, if you want to designate some space for your storage needs (see our FAQ page regarding our Chicks & Peeps interior option), then you would need to reduce your square footage by the amount you devote to yourself. Let us take the same example of a flock of 10, but this time with adding the Chicks & Peeps interior, so you have shelving and a place to store your supplies. This interior will cut off your coop by half, so we would suggest increasing your coop size to 8x8 so that you have 64 square feet total, half is yours, and half is for your chickens! The good news is that your run square footage would stay basically the same (although we would suggest changing it to an 8x8 run so that it is more aesthetically pleasing to the overall set up and flush with your coop's sidewalls!).