Choosing between a big coop with a small run or a small coop with a big run

Honestly, I had to pick between two setups for my six hens last spring. The first option was a large, fancy coop with a small, attached 4x6 foot run. The second was a basic, smaller coop but with a huge 10x20 foot covered run I could build myself. I went with the big run, thinking the space was more important. It cost about $400 in materials and took me two weekends to build the frame and hardware cloth. The chickens love the room to scratch, but now I'm seeing issues. The small coop gets crowded at night, especially in winter, and cleaning it is a tight squeeze. I'm starting to think maybe the comfort inside the coop matters more than I thought. Has anyone else made this choice and wished they'd done the opposite?

2 comments

2 Comments

webb.jordan16d ago

Is it really that big of a deal? They're chickens. Mine all pile into a tiny corner of their big coop anyway, even with plenty of space. A little crowding at night might just keep them warmer. And cleaning a small coop takes like five minutes. You're overthinking it.

keithwalker16d ago

Crowding spreads disease faster, though.