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Free Online coop planner

Design a coop
that fits your flock.

Tell us how many hens you keep. We size the house and the run, place the nest boxes, roosts and vents, and count every board. The rules come from US university extension guidance, and where they disagree we say which one we follow.

Design my coopSizes by flock
4' x 8' raised gable coop and runFree
6Hens
25.3Sq ft floor
2Nest boxes
6.8'Roost
73 boards21/23 checks green

Coop size by flock

How big a coop for your hens

The smallest of our standard sizes that passes every flock check, for standard laying hens with a run. Each coop is drawn and framed by the planner: inside floor is measured inside the walls, not over the siding.

HensCoopFloor neededInside floorNest boxesRoostRun neededChecksDesigner
4 hens: free plan4x6 raised hutch16 sq ft18.5 sq ft23.4'40 sq ft20/22Open the 4-hen coop in the designer
6 hens: free plan4x8 raised hutch24 sq ft25.3 sq ft26.8'60 sq ft21/23Open the 6-hen coop in the designer
10 hens: free plan6x8 walk-in40 sq ft40.2 sq ft37.4'100 sq ft20/22Open the 10-hen coop in the designer
12 hens: free plan8x8 walk-in48 sq ft55 sq ft314.8'120 sq ft21/23Open the 12-hen coop in the designer
20 hens: free plan8x12 walk-in80 sq ft84.7 sq ft522.8'200 sq ft21/23Open the 20-hen coop in the designer
30 hens: free plan12x12 walk-in120 sq ft130.3 sq ft822.8'300 sq ft21/23Open the 30-hen coop in the designer

Bantams and large breeds change every figure: bantam 2 sq ft of coop and 6 sq ft of run per bird; standard laying hen 4 sq ft of coop and 10 sq ft of run per bird; large or heavy breed 5 sq ft of coop and 12 sq ft of run per bird.

The flock checks

Green, amber or red

Green meets our default. Amber sits between the smallest figure an extension source accepts and our default. Red is below every source we read. Values marked our default are our own choice where the sources give a range or say nothing.

CheckOur defaultAmber fromSources
Coop floor4 sq ft per hen3 sq ftVirginia Tech, Cooperative Extension, Oregon State
Run10 sq ft per hen4 sq ftVirginia Tech, Cooperative Extension, Colorado State
Nest boxes1 per 4 hens, at least 21 per 5Oregon State, UNH, Kentucky
Nest box12 in cube, floor 18 in up10 inOregon State, Kentucky, UGA
Roost8 in per hen, 24 in up6 inVirginia Tech, Penn State, Utah State
Floor off the ground24 in (our default)12 inOregon State, NC State, UC Davis
Ventilation1 sq ft per 10 sq ft of floorrule of thumb, never a failcoop builders

Design your coop and run in 3D

Start from your flock, change the coop and the run, and get the checks and the materials list free on screen. The builder's plan for your exact coop, run included, is $29 once.

Open the designer