Chicken coop for 6 hens?

[AmeraucanaHank]

Good Evening,
I am looking into buying a coop suitable for 6 hens, I would like something not too big as we live in town now.

Let me know what you all think.

Thank you And God Bless!

 

[GodLovesU]

It you’re intending to keep them just as pets bantams are smaller and require less space!!

 

[AmeraucanaHank]

It you’re intending to keep them just as pets bantams are smaller and require less space!!

Yes, I've thought of that, but the fact that they only come as straight run makes me wary... and also, we would like a steady flow of eggs.

 

[GodLovesU]

Bantams produce eggs just small ones.There is a hatchery called my pet chicken that sells sexed bantams!

 

[Alagirl]

Well, if your city ordinances allow that many hens.....
Bought coops are notorious for not being up to snuff,
Poor quality or way too small. the run has to be 10 square feet per hen, the barest minimum. I am keeping 5 in an 8x8 run and I am seeing problems with bullying. Each hen needs at least one linear foot roosting space, not sure right now how much coop space. My run doubles as both, but it's hot here.
And draft free ventilation is a must!

 

[McChooky]

Well, if your city ordinances allow that many hens.....
Bought coops are notorious for not being up to snuff,
Poor quality or way too small. the run has to be oo10 square feet per hen, the barest minimum. I am keeping 5 in an 8x8 run and I am seeing problems with bullying. Each hen needs at least one linear foot roosting space, not sure right now how much coop space. My run doubles as both, but it's hot here.
And draft free ventilation is a must!

I added roosts and dropping boards to the coop and covered run . It gave them all more room and made it easier to clean too(deep litter method)

 

[NatJ]

I am looking into buying a coop suitable for 6 hens, I would like something not too big as we live in town now.

The usual guidelines for space, that work well enough in most cases:
4 square feet of space per hen in the coop
1 linear foot of roost space per hen
1 square foot of ventilation per hen
1 nestbox for every 4 hens (so 2 nestboxes for 6 hens)
10 square feet of space per hen in the run

More of everything is fine, less will often cause problems.

The "run" is where the chickens spend time on days with good weather.

The "coop" is where the chickens sleep at night, lay their eggs, and spend time in bad weather. Chickens get shut into the coop any time you consider that the run is not safe enough: nasty weather, or the run was damaged by a predator and needs repair, or many other reasons. Space per chicken in the coop means floor space they can actually use. Feeders, waterers, and nestboxes do not count as floor space for this purpose, so you might have to make the coop a bit bigger to allow for them.

For 6 hens, I would not go smaller than 4 feet by 6 feet of coop (=24 square feet), and I would generally try to make it a bit bigger than that: 5x5 = 25 square feet or 4x8 = 32 square feet or 6x6 = 36 square feet.

I am looking into buying a coop....

Check the dimensions for any coop you are thinking of buying. They often claim to hold large numbers of hens, but that makes it much more crowded than most owners actually want for their hens.

Overcrowded hens are more likely to be dirty and stinky (too much poop in too little space, chickens cannot keep themselves clean). They are more likely to pick at each other (which causes missing feathers that look ugly, sometimes injuries, sometimes death). They tend to be more stressed, which can make them more likely to get sick, and/or cause them to lay fewer eggs. I keep saying "more likely" because none of these things are certain to happen in crowded coops, and a larger coop does not guarantee that you will avoid the problems. The coop size just makes some things more likely and others less likely.

A smaller coop will generally need cleaning more often than a larger coop. Dor which one is faster and easier to clean, the exact details of the design and style matter more than the actual size.