What do you need in your Chicken Coop?

The babies are doing well and will soon need to move to a larger area. What do you need in your chicken coop? Should you do a henhouse or a traditional coop? There’s lots of questions and decisions to be made.

We decided on a hen house. What’s the difference? A coop is a structure that you can walk in and a hen house sits up off the ground. 

The area the girls will be in is not large so having a hen house will give them more ground/floor space in the run. They will free range 90% of the time so the run doesn’t have to be that big. I’ve seen backyards with both so you’ll just have to figure out what works best for your area. 

We placed the hen house at the back of our yard. Our city ordinance states the coop has to be 30 feet from our neighbors’ house or dwelling. We have a shed that provides a partial wall plus a privacy fence on two sides. 

There are several other things to consider. 

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How large should the coop be?

After researching, we learned if your chickens free-range most of the time, 2-3 square feet per chicken is adequate for the coop. If not, 5 square feet is ideal. For the run, 10 square feet minimum, and if you can do 15 even better. This will help keep the pecking injuries low from overcrowding. Plus, your chickens will be a lot happier. 

In my experience, the larger the better (chicken math is real). When building your coop you want to make sure it’s easy to clean. Herb added a drop-down front to the hen house for accessibility. This is also a great feature to have on the nest boxes. 

If you decide on a traditional coop, choose one you can stand up in. Your back will thank you later. 

Roost Bars

Chickens have an instinct to roost so you will also need roost bars. They will go to roost about 30 minutes before the sun goes down. You will need 10-12 inches of roost bar per chicken. 

A 2×4 works well for this. Build it where they are roosting on the larger side (4”) of the wood. Chickens prefer to sleep flat-footed, unlike other birds that curl their toes around the bar. I’ve seen a lot of people that use large tree limbs too. 

Having this much space per chicken gives them room to spread out when hot. You will notice in the winter, the girls will huddle together. 

To keep away from predators, chickens like to be as high as possible. Place the roost bars in the highest area possible that’s accessible to your birds and about 12” below the ceiling or any window. This will provide a draft-free area which is needed in winter. You want to keep any drafts away from the birds, especially in winter so they can maintain their body temp. 

Also, you may want to stair-step them so they can easily jump to the top roost. Place about 15” apart so if birds are roosting below, they won’t get pooped on. 

Nest Box

The girls will need nest boxes to lay eggs in. You want to make sure they are lower than the roost bars to keep the girls from sleeping in them.

When sleeping, chickens digest their food and poop (a lot). You want to keep them from sleeping in the nest box so you can avoid dirty eggs. 

Herb built nest boxes into the side of the hen house but other good choices are kitty litter containers, 5-gallon buckets, milk crates, and metal nest boxes. 

You want to have one nest box for three hens but you will probably find that they all want to lay in the same one. 

If you chickens are sleeping in the nest box, block off for a few weeks. 

Ventilation

Your coop will also need ventilation. When the chickens are cooped up at night, their breathing and body heat produces moisture. Plus, their poop is 60% moisture and contains nitrates. This is what makes the ammonia smell. Ventilation at the top of the coop will help the moisture and odor escape. 

You may also want to add a few windows for cross ventilation in the summer. You just want to be able to close them up in winter. Consider the South or East side to avoid the North wind.

Slant any window sills to discourage your birds from roosting on them. This will alleviate any extra mess to clean up.

Any area that is open, add hardware cloth to keep predators out. Predators will rip through window screens in a second and will try to pull a bird through a small opening.  

Bedding

Like the brooder, you will need bedding in the coop. Pine shavings are a great option.

People also use hay or straw in the coop and do the deep litter method in winter to provide more heat. 

If you have grass in the run, the chickens will soon eat it and scratch it until it’s completely gone. You will need some type of ground cover to keep it from becoming a mucky mess. 

You will see lots of things used: 

• Pine shavings
• Grass clippings
• Sand
• Dried leaves
• Straw
• Shredded paper
• Wood Chips

You can use any combination of these. I’m allergic to fresh-cut grass so that’s not a good option for me. Also, chickens love grass and will eat a lot of it. Some will eat so much they will get an impacted crop, which could be deadly. 

More and more people are using sand. It’s easy to clean and provides drainage. I’m worried in Texas that it will be too hot for the chickens. Initially, we used pine shavings and straw but have switched to pine bark mulch. The mulch has kept the run from being a mucky mess and my falling on my arse. I still have shavings under the roost bars in the run to help with the poop. 

Decorations

What’s a coop without some decorations? Of course, the chickens could care less about how cute the coop is but I love a cute sign and some flowers or herbs. Some people even add curtains to the nest box. 

Have you noticed how fast your chicks are growing? It won’t be long before they’ve outgrown their brooder and will be ready for their coop.  Once they are fully feathered, about six weeks of age, you can move them to their new home. 

If you are considering a prefab coop, be sure and check out the craftsmanship. Many need to be reinforced plus does it have everything you need for your chicken coop?

Be sure and check out my post on predator proofing also.

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn money from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.