By Zencalcy Editorial TeamLast reviewed About us
Chickens need room indoors and out, plus a nesting box per few hens and an inch of roost per bird. The widely used standard is 3 to 4 square feet of covered coop and 10 square feet of run per bird, and crowding is the root cause of most flock health and behavior problems.
Coop, run, nest and roost space for a flock.
coop = birds × 4 sq ft run = birds × 10 sq ft nests = ⌈birds ÷ 5⌉ roost = birds × 10 in
Bantams need roughly 60% of the standard space. These are per-bird minimums for full-time confinement; free-ranging birds use the run less but still want the indoor space, and cold-winter flocks that never leave the coop should be built to the higher end.
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| n | Number of birds. |
| A | Coop floor area. |
| N | Nesting boxes required. |
24 sq ft of coop, 60 sq ft of run, 2 nesting boxes and 60 inches of roost — enough for a flock that stays healthy and out of each other's feathers.
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3 to 4 square feet indoors and 10 square feet of run for standard breeds. Bantams take about 60% of that; heavy breeds like Orpingtons want the full 4.
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Content updated: September 2026