Architectural Designs

Building a chicken coop?

Hi I'm planning on getting a few chickens, approx 4-5 (5 max) and i'm looking into building a cheap chicken coop. We have a lot of wood at the back of my house - old bed slats - a LOT of them, maybe 50 or so. to build this as cheap as possible i'm planning on using either an old bed frame, or desk as a base for the coop (free ones that people are advertising). the chickens will have an enclosed area for when they aren't supervised (we have an area approx 5x5 meters fenced off) and full run of the yard when i'm home (its a massive area but i would have to keep chickens and dogs supervised for safety - i hear chickens can be nasty) So my question is, how big should a coop be for about 5 chickens? i know they are happy to sleep shoulder to shoulder. i just want an approx measurement for a sleeping area, i will add a nesting box and food/water spot/door etc onto that. this is just so i can get a decent sized desk or bed frame to convert. Any extra info is appreciated.

Public Comments

1. One thing to consider concerning room for chickens is that they do not all,always get along therefore you need to give them ample space to roost away from each other if they desire or they may tend to peck one another.Assuming they do all get along well,you really do not need a lot of room just for roosting at night.Five chickens can easily fit on a small roost.Just consider the size of the birds and make sure there is enough room for all of them to roost side by side without crowding each other.They need more room during the day of course,but it sounds as if you already have that taken care of .