Find out how big your chicken coop and run should be. Enter the number of birds, pick bantam, standard or large breeds and how they are kept, and get the coop floor area with a suggested size, run area, roost length, nest boxes, ventilation, feeder space and daily feed and water.
Last updated:
Plan for the flock you will have in a year; most people add birds.
Bantam: Silkie, Serama. Standard: Leghorn, Rhode Island Red, Australorp. Large: Brahma, Jersey Giant, Cochin.
How the flock is kept
Enter your values to see the result.
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How to use the Chicken Coop Size Calculator
Enter the number of chickens you have or plan to keep.
Choose the breed size: bantam, standard or large.
Pick how the flock is kept: free-range, coop and run, or shut in for long winters.
Press Calculate coop size to see coop, run, roost and nest box sizes.
Check the table to see how much room you need if the flock grows.
Space per chicken: the guidelines used
Per bird
Bantam
Standard
Large / heavy
Coop floor (with run)
2 sq ft
4 sq ft
6 sq ft
Run
5 sq ft
10 sq ft
15 sq ft
Roost
6 in
8–10 in
10–12 in
Nest box size
10 in cube
12 in cube
14 in cube
Nest boxes
1 per 4–5 hens
Ventilation
About 1 sq ft per 10 sq ft of coop floor
The calculator multiplies the coop figure by 1.25 for birds kept in a coop and run all the time and by 2 for flocks shut in during long, snowy winters. For daily free-rangers it halves the run, since the run is mostly used for safe confinement. These are practical backyard guidelines, not legal minimums; local rules may also limit flock size or coop placement.
Coop layout tips
Put roost bars 18–36 in above the floor, higher than the nest boxes, so hens do not sleep in the boxes.
Use 2×4 boards with the wide side up for roosts: hens can cover their toes with their feathers in winter.
Keep nest boxes in a darker, quieter corner, 18–24 in off the floor.
Vent high, not at bird level. Moist, ammonia-heavy air causes more cold-weather problems than low temperatures.
Cover the run with hardware cloth (not chicken wire) to keep out predators, and bury or apron it 12 in out from the base.
Build bigger than you need. Chicken keepers almost always add birds later.
Frequently asked questions
How many square feet does a chicken need in a coop?
A common rule is about 2 sq ft of coop floor per bantam, 4 sq ft per standard-size hen and 5 to 6 sq ft per large breed such as Brahmas, when the birds also have an outdoor run. If they spend long winters inside, give roughly double that.
How big should a chicken run be?
Plan about 10 sq ft of run per standard chicken, 5 sq ft per bantam and 15 sq ft per large breed. More space reduces pecking, mud and boredom. Birds that free-range every day can manage with a smaller run.
How big should a coop be for 6 chickens?
Six standard hens need about 24 sq ft of coop floor (a 4 × 6 ft coop) and about 60 sq ft of run, such as 6 × 10 ft. Adding 25% for birds that never free-range gives 30 sq ft, about 5 × 6 ft.
How many nesting boxes do I need?
About one nest box for every 4 to 5 hens is enough, because hens take turns and often share a favorite box. Standard hens use boxes about 12 × 12 × 12 inches; bantams about 10 inches and large breeds about 14 inches.
How much roost space does each chicken need?
Give 8 to 10 inches of roost per standard hen, about 6 inches per bantam and 10 to 12 inches per large bird. In winter they huddle closer; in summer they spread out. Place roosts higher than the nest boxes and 12 to 18 inches apart.
How much ventilation does a chicken coop need?
A common guideline is about 1 square foot of screened ventilation for every 10 square feet of floor, placed high on the walls above the roosts so moist air escapes without a draft on the birds.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.