Chicken Coop Sizing Guide

What Problems Does Overcrowding Cause?

Chickens are social birds and like company but too many birds with not enough space increases the stress levels amongst your hens.

Symptoms of overcrowding include:

• Reduction in egg laying. Chickens need to be happy and healthy to be productive members of the chicken society.
• Pecking – we humans tend to get a bit snappish when our neighbours live on top of us and it’s the same with chickens. 
• Although establishing the ‘pecking order’ is normal, excessive pecking can cause serious problems including loss of feathers and damage to skin, dominant chickens blocking access to feed and water, and even cannibalism.
• Disease – overcrowding encourages the development and spread of disease amongst your flock. It’s harder to keep the coop clean too if the chickens are all pooping in a small confined space.

The Somerzby Coop Range – Perfect For Every Chicken

The Somerzby range of hen coops are designed to provide safe and comfortable roosting and nesting spaces for your hens.

The handy chart below shows you the recommended Somerzby chicken coop for your chicken family.

• 1 – 2 chickens – Cottage, Deluxe Cottage
• 2 – 3 chickens – Bungalow, Tudor, Holly, Chalet
• 5 – 6 chickens – Mansion, Deluxe Mansion
• 6 – 8 chickens –  Estate, Cabana & Run
• 9 – 12 chickens – Homestead

These numbers assume you are letting the chickens out during the day and just putting them away at night in the coop.

If the chickens need to stay in the coop for extended periods you should choose a larger size.

Coops that have a run extension allow you to keep the chickens in for longer periods.

Somerzby – housing for chickens that don’t want to feel cooped up.

How do Chickens Benefit from Having Enough Space?

When chickens have the space they need they feel less stress and more tolerant towards each other.

There tends to be less competition for food and a reduction in the overall levels of aggression in the flock.

In short, give your chickens the space they need and they’ll be healthier and happier and will tend to lay more eggs.

How Much Space Does a Chicken Need?

In simple terms, the more space your chickens have to roam and do normal chicken things the better.

However, chicken coops must comply with Council regulations and are generally limited to no higher than 3m or larger than 15² m in most Australian residential areas.

There are two things to think about when choosing a chicken coop.

1. The amount of space in the coop, perch, and nesting areas relative to the number of chickens you want to keep.
2. The amount of time each day your chickens will be able to roam outside or in a larger run.

So, How Much Coop Space Do You Need For Each Chicken?

Chickens tend to roost close together to keep warm but overcrowding will lead to some very unhappy and unhealthy chooks.

The general consensus of most chicken experts is that you need around 1.2metres per chicken in the coop/run area.

This is assuming your chickens will get some time and space to roam a little more freely during each day.

Your lovely little ladies also need attractive nesting boxes to lay their eggs.

The RSPCA recommends that nesting boxes should be around 300mm square to cater for four to five hens but you may find that some hens require their own individual nesting boxes.

Nesting boxes only need to give your girls enough room to turn around, rearrange the bedding and get comfortable.

The nesting box should be about 600mm off the ground with access to the outside for ease of egg collection and nest box cleaning.

What About Space For Perching?

Hens love sitting on their favourite perch and the RSPCA suggests a minimum of about 200mm for each bird.