How big should a chicken coop be for 6 hens?

24 sq ft inside, 60 sq ft of run, up to 5 feet of roost bar, 2 nesting boxes.

Quick answer: Six hens at 4 sq ft inside and 10 sq ft of run need a 24 sq ft coop (about 4×6 ft) and a 60 sq ft run. The 4 sits in the eXtension and UC Master Gardener range of about 3–4 sq ft indoors, and 10 sq ft outdoors is the figure both pages publish.

The formula from the extension services

Coop: 4 sq ft per standard bird. Run: 10 sq ft per bird. Six hens → 24 sq ft of coop floor and 60 sq ft of run. Penn State and Maryland list a lower indoor minimum (1.5 sq ft for laying hens, 2 for large chickens). Their bantam row is 1 sq ft inside and 4 sq ft of run, not half of 4 and 10.

eXtension says too little space can lead to pecking. The 4 sq ft figure is the top of its 3–4 sq ft indoor minimum, not a lower floor from the Penn State table. Give more than a cramped coop.

The six-hen spec, line by line

Spec	6 hens	Why
Coop floor	24 sq ft	4 sq ft/bird; e.g. 4×6 ft
Run	60 sq ft	10 sq ft/bird; e.g. 6×10 ft
Roost bar	3–5 ft	Utah 6–10 in/bird (5 ft is the 10 in end). Penn State lists 6 in.
Nesting boxes	2	One per 4–5 hens. Penn State: at least 12×12 in.
Ventilation	2.4+ sq ft, high	Site planning ratio of about 1 sq ft of high vent per 10 sq ft of floor, not a published formula. See the winter guide.
Pop door	—	The cited pages do not give a pop-door size.

The full flock-size chart

Flock	Coop	Run	Roost	Boxes
3 hens	12 sq ft	30 sq ft	2.5 ft	1
6 hens	24 sq ft	60 sq ft	5 ft	2
8 hens	32 sq ft	80 sq ft	7 ft	2
12 hens	48 sq ft	120 sq ft	10 ft	3
20 hens	80 sq ft	200 sq ft	17 ft	5

Coop and run columns use 4 and 10 sq ft. The roost column is about 10 inches per bird, the top of Utah's 6–10 inch range (Penn State's standard-chicken figure is 6 inches, which is shorter). Nest boxes are one per 4 hens, the tighter end of the published one-per-4-to-5 range. Both nest counts for each flock are on the flock-size page.

Scale drawing of a 4 by 6 foot coop labeled 24 square feet beside a 6 by 10 foot run labeled 60 square feet, for six hens. — Six hens at 4 sq ft inside and 10 sq ft of run: a 4×6 ft coop (24 sq ft) and a 6×10 ft run (60 sq ft). Those are the figures in the table above. Breed weights are a separate page, the chicken breed size and space chart.

The prefab-label trap

A label that says "fits 6–8 chickens" is not a floor measurement. Read the interior dimensions and divide by 4 to see how many birds that floor holds at this site's planning rate. The best coops for 6 hens guide is the same test, without a price.

Run size when chickens free-range

Birds are locked in every night, so the indoor 4 sq ft rate still applies. The pages cited here do not publish a 5–8 sq ft free-range run. eXtension and the UC handout still say about 10 sq ft outdoors, and Penn State and Maryland list 8 sq ft of run for laying hens. A 60 sq ft run is the 10 sq ft rate for six hens. The same outdoor rates, for any count, are on how big a chicken run should be.

Sizing up on purpose

New birds are a second housing job for 30 days, then a larger combined floor. The calculator runs and the USDA APHIS quarantine rules are on how to introduce new chickens. These pages do not publish a larger six-hen floor than 24 sq ft, and they do not publish how much bedding subtracts from that floor.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The Amazon links below are affiliate links; they don't change the math.

Affiliate

The spec list maps directly to hardware: 1/2-inch hardware cloth, predator-proof two-step latches, flat roost bars, and 12×12 nesting boxes. hardware cloth on Amazon · coop latches on Amazon · roost bars on Amazon

After the coop: the monthly math

Size is the one-time decision; feed is the forever one. Six hens eat roughly 46 lb of layer feed a month — about one 50 lb bag — and the feed cost guide breaks that down per flock size, per egg, and per brand. The coop calculator handles any flock size in one step.

FAQ

How big should a coop be for 6 hens?

24 sq ft inside (4 sq ft/bird, inside the published 3–4 sq ft range) plus a 60 sq ft run (10 sq ft/bird), with 3–5 ft of roost (Utah's 6–10 inches) and 2 nesting boxes (one per 4 to 5 hens). That's roughly a 4×6 coop on a 6×10 run.

Can 6 chickens live in a small prefab coop?

Check the listed interior dimensions and divide by 4. A floor marketed for 6 hens still has to provide 24 sq ft inside at this site's planning rate. This page does not publish a prefab price.

Do bantams need less space?

Penn State and Maryland list 1 sq ft inside and 4 sq ft of run for bantams. That is the published minimum, not 2 and 8. Six bantams at that minimum are 6 sq ft inside and 24 sq ft of run. The calculator's 2 and 8 rate is extra room above those rows. Penn State roost space for bantams is 4 inches, not the standard-chicken 6 inches.

Sources & Standards

Published references for coop space, nests, and feed: