A good chicken house should offer comfort, safety and shelter, without being unnecessarily large or overly cramped. And while most coop manufacturers will give you a guide for how many hens their houses can accommodate, it’s helpful to understand what your chickens actually need from the inside space, so you can make the right call for your flock.

How Much Space Do Chickens Need?

A standard rule of thumb is that a house measuring one square metre can comfortably hold up to 4–5 large hens, or 6–8 smaller breeds. That might sound tight, but remember: your chickens won’t be spending the whole day in there. The coop is mainly for sleeping, shelter and laying. Chickens aren't one for lounging around.

Inside the house, they’ll need:

• A safe place to roost at night
• Good ventilation (but not draughty)
• Nesting boxes for laying
• Easy access to food and water if you're keeping them inside for any length of time

The rest of their time will be spent outside, in a secure, enriching space where they can scratch, dust bathe, forage and flap.

Inside vs Outside: What Matters More?

If you’re debating whether to spend your budget on a bigger house or a better chicken run, we would say, always go for the run. Outdoor space is far more important than indoor space when it comes to your chickens’ wellbeing. Chickens are active, curious little creatures. They thrive when they have room to move, explore, and indulge in their natural behaviours. A small house paired with a large, secure run is a much better setup than a large house with minimal outside access.

So, as long as your house offers shelter, safety, and enough room to roost and lay comfortably, you’re on the right track.

What If I Have a Smaller Coop?

Not everyone has the space for a big walk-in chicken palace, and that’s OK. You can absolutely keep chickens in a smaller house as long as:

• Your hens have plenty of outside space, either a secure run or free-ranging in a safe garden
• You provide extra nesting boxes externally if the house only has one or two inside
• Your flock is kept appropriately small for the space available

As a general guide, if your house has just one built-in nesting box and you’ve got more than three hens, it’s a good idea to add external nesting boxes. These can be attached to the outside of the coop, placed in sheltered corners of the run, or even made from upcycled items (think storage boxes, wooden crates, or old drawers). Just make sure they’re dry, dark, and cosy.

The One Nesting Box to Three Hens Rule

Aim for one nesting box for every three hens as a minimum. Chickens can be picky about where they lay their eggs, and they’ll often all try to use the same box even if others are free. But giving them a choice reduces stress, prevents queuing or squabbling over nesting boxes, and helps keep your eggs clean.

Think Ahead as Your Flock Grows

One common mistake new chicken keepers make is buying a coop that suits their flock right now, not realising how quickly they might want to add a few more hens. It’s incredibly easy to fall in love with chicken keeping. You start with three… and then there’s that irresistible Speckled Sussex you spotted at the farm shop… and then someone offers you two rescues who need a home…

So, if you think you might expand your flock in the future, it’s worth investing in a coop with a little wiggle room or one that’s easy to modify. Look for houses that allow for add-ons, such as extension kits or extra nesting boxes, or consider building your own from scratch if you’ve got the DIY bug.

Ventilation, Hygiene and Access

The size of the coop is important, but don’t forget the design details that make your life easier too. A well-sized chicken house should also be:

• Easy to clean, with a wide door or removable base
• Well-ventilated to reduce moisture and ammonia build-up
• Designed to discourage pests and predators
• Easy for chickens to access, especially if they’re older or have mobility issues

It’s no use having a perfectly sized house if you can’t reach the back corner to collect eggs or clean out the droppings!

Getting the Size Right for Your Setup

So, what size house do you need for your chickens? That depends on the size of your flock, the breed of your hens, and how much time they’ll spend outside. As a general guide, aim for one square metre of indoor space per 4–5 large hens (or 6–8 small), and prioritise outdoor space and enrichment wherever possible.

Don’t be put off by a smaller house if it suits your space — just make sure you’ve got external nesting boxes if needed, and always provide more than enough room outside.

After all, a happy hen is one with fresh air, space to scratch, and a cosy place to lay her eggs. Get the balance right, and you’ll have a flock of content, productive girls in no time.

If you’re new to chicken keeping, or even if you’ve been in the game a while and your flock is growing, it’s always worth keeping check and making sure your setup is working as well as it can be. Ensuring you have enough nesting boxes is crucial for keeping your hens happy. 

The golden rule is one nesting box for every three hens. And that’s the minimum we’d recommend. Why? Because hens can be fussy. They like a bit of privacy, a comfy spot, and they often have a favourite box. If you’ve got too few nesting spots, you’ll probably find your chickens squabbling over the same one, piling in on top of each other. And yes, they will probably just ignore the perfectly empty box right next to the one that’s currently full!

Why the Right Number Matters

Nesting boxes are essential for keeping your flock happy, your eggs clean, and your sanity intact. When hens don’t have enough boxes, they’ll start getting creative. You might find eggs in the coop corners, under bushes, behind the feed bin… anywhere they can tuck themselves away. And if they’re laying eggs on the ground, that means your eggs are at risk of getting broken.

Enough nesting boxes means:

• Fewer broken eggs
• Less stress for your hens
• Easier egg collection for you
• A more hygienic environment (nobody wants a trampled egg mess)

Can I Have Too Many Nesting Boxes?

Technically, yes. If you go overboard and add a nesting box for every hen, you’ll just end up with a load of unused boxes which will still need cleaning. Chickens are social animals, but they also love to copy each other, so even if you have five perfect nesting boxes, they might still all queue up for the same one. It's not always logical, but it's very chicken.

Stick with the one-to-three ratio and you’ll be in a good place. For example:

• 3 hens = 1 nesting box
• 6 hens = 2 nesting boxes
• 9 hens = 3 nesting boxes

If your flock is very large, you may find you can stretch that ratio slightly if your hens are good at taking turns (some are better than others), but you’ll quickly know if there’s a problem. Watch out for queuing, nudging, or grumpy behaviour around egg-laying time.

What If I Don’t Have Room in My Coop?

Not every coop comes with a palace of internal nesting space, and if you’re keeping chickens in a compact setup, it’s totally fine to get a bit creative. External nesting boxes can attach to the outside of your coop, creating little lean-to shelters in the run, or even upcycle old crates, drawers, or plastic tubs as long as they’re safe, dry, and accessible.

The key things to remember:

• Nesting boxes should be sheltered from wind and rain
• Hens like low lighting and privacy when laying
• Place boxes off the ground if possible to discourage rodents and damp
• Use a comfy lining (we like hemp, straw or nesting pads) and keep them clean

If your hens start avoiding the boxes you’ve provided, it’s often a clue that something’s not quite right, maybe they are too exposed, too bright, not clean enough, or just plain unpopular. You may have to use some trial and error, but that's all part of the fun.

When Hens Share (and When They Don’t)

Even when you provide the perfect number of boxes, hens might still all try to lay in the same one. Definitely not a chicken-keeping failure, just flock dynamics. Sometimes a box gets “favourite” status, and that’s that. However, giving them options is still important, especially if a box becomes faulty, breaks, or suddenly falls out of favour.

Do Nesting Boxes Need to Be in the Coop?

Not necessarily, as long as your chickens are safe from predators and the elements, nesting boxes can go in the run, in a sheltered corner of the garden, or even in a converted shed or outbuilding. The key thing is that your hens know where to go—and that you can easily reach the eggs when it's time to collect them. 

Just be aware that if boxes are too far from the coop or not part of their regular routine, some hens might get confused or go rogue with their laying. Hens will appreciate consistency.

Buying Hen Nesting Boxes

So, how many nesting boxes do you need? At least one for every three hens, or more if you’ve got space and particularly choosy birds. You don’t need to go overboard, but you do need to be thoughtful. The right number of nesting boxes can make all the difference to ensure a calm, happy coop.

Don’t worry, if you need to add more later, chicken keeping is all about adapting as you go. And remember, it’s not about having the fanciest boxes, it’s about having enough of them, placed in the right spots, and keeping them nice and clean.

We always advise buying sexed birds that are vaccinated, sadly when buying chicks you are not always going to be able to get sexed chicks, so unless you are prepared for cockerels buying older sexed hens is best. Cockerel to hen ratio can be anything as high as 60-40%.

Chicks will need vaccinated at certain times for different diseases and viruses and if you are not able to do this yourself your chicks will be at risk.

No, we don’t recommend this, all breeds are different but for breeds like Silkies, Polish etc… you want them to be acclimated as quickly as possible and we find shutting them in a coop then opening up yet more areas to them really causes stress. We recommend with al birds popping them in the coop when they arrive with the door open to allow them to see outside and to see their feed and water. We do advise keeping them in a run for at least the first 2 weeks to ensure they don’t wonder off if you give them too much freedom too quickly.

Depending on the size of your hen, you can usually manage to wash them in your kitchen sink or in a shallow tub. Put enough warm water in the tub or sink so that when you pop your hen in the water level is just above the wing tips. Then using a jug, pour water over the chicken until she is properly soaked, you can then lift the hen and dunk her pom-pom into the water making sure to keep her beak out of the water, if you are not confident doing this, then you can run the pomp om under a warm tap again, ensuring the water does not go over the beak. Then thoroughly shampoo and rinse in the same way, make sure all soap suds are out of the feathers. Once the hen has been rinsed you can then towel dry her and finish drying with a hair blow dryer, make sure the hen is fully dry before putting her outside again.

Yes, we actually find some breeds really enjoy a nice bath and blow dry, in particular Silkies, we advise giving your hens a wash if they have become quite dirty. You can use an herbal shampoo or a pet friendly shampoo, make sure you rinse the soap out fully and then towel and blow dry your hens so they are completely dry before putting them back outside.

Cleaning regularly is important for a healthy flock, you can keep your coop clean with regular washing using a Poultry Shield cleaner, then disinfecting with Virkon S. Use a concentrated cleaner mixed with hot water and using a scrubbing brush really get it into all the cracks and crevices of the coop, then rinse with a hose. Once you have done this disinfect with Virkon S, you dilute the powder according to the manufacturer’s instructions in water and use this in a garden sprayer and spray liberally inside and outside of the coop. Once dry put in fresh bedding. Make sure to do this once every 3 months and between cleanings take out any poop and freshen bedding as needed.

It’s essential to offer lots of run space with plenty of enrichment. It doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated, you can use items from around your home and garden to create lots of fun and entertainment for your chickens.

Here are 10 easy run enrichment ideas.

1. Create a dust bath. Cover a section of your run to keep out the rain and create a dust bath, you can use old tubs, sinks and even tyres. Fill them with kiln dried sand and DE powder, this will allow your hens to bathe in the sand and offers a natural boredom buster and mite prevention, it also encourages natural social behaviours and allows your hens to feel happy. Some chickens will prefer it if you sink the bath into the ground so it is flush to the ground level, some hens will not want to climb into it.
2. Make a jungle-gym. Using old pieces of wood, logs and branches you can create climbing frames, perches etc… flight chickens in particular love to climb, perch and be up high, if you have a walk-in run you can utilise the vertical spaces by creating high ledges and perches. If you have flightless chickens you can use log rounds and branches to create jungle-gyms and climbing frames, you can also have areas underneath for cover and tunnels, they love this kind of enrichment as it’s natural and fun. Make sure you disinfect the wood before using and spray often with disinfectant and cleaners.
3. Pecking blocks and fat balls are a great inexpensive run enricher, you can buy these and hang them in the run or you can make them at home with coconut oil and a mix of corn, grains, seeds, herbs etc... They are very high in fat so only offer these every now and then.
4. Healthy Veggies, chickens love veggies and fruits, you can make fruit kebab sticks and hang them from your run, you can use a mix of apples, cucumber, cabbage, strawberries, melon etc…
5. Bales of wood shavings. Simply opening a fresh bale of wood chippings or shavings and leaving it in the middle of the run offers hours of entertainment, the chickens will climb on it and slowly start to forage it down and spread it around the run. You can also put live mealworms in and around the bale, this adds another level of fun to their foraging as they hunt for the grubs and will be good for them too.
6. Create a swing. Flight birds will love this, we have even known Silkies to get involved with ones hung low to the ground. Very easy to make, you get a solid stick or branch and hang from inside the run with string or wire. Could not be easier and they really enjoy it. Again, with natural wood ensure you disinfect it thoroughly before adding to your run and clean regularly.
7. Mirrors. By simply adding a mirror to your run you can offer enrichment, chickens can see their own reflections and find the light reflections from a mirror or shiny surface fascinating. If you don’t have a mirror, try hanging old CDs around the run.
8. Bells. Hang small bells close to the ground, chickens love making them ding and will peck at them, this is a great way to relieve run boredom.
9. Create an area for foraging. Chickens love to forage, it is not only good for their wellbeing as it promotes natural behaviours and communal behaviours, it also has benefits for their health. Chickens need a certain amount of grit in their diet to enable them to digest their feed properly, by creating an area within your run for foraging you will allow them to display this natural behaviour and it’s a great way to offer grit. Dig a section of your run and lay in it loads of gravel, bark and grit, it should be about 6-10 inches deep. You can then sprinkle into this area treats like corn, live grubs etc… this will encourage them to forage in it. It is also a great way for your hens to keep their beaks and toe nails trimmed naturally.
10. Nesting boxes, chickens like to have areas where they can lay eggs safely, if you have a large run and a smaller house you may only have 2-3 nesting areas within your house, offering your chickens additional nesting areas will help egg production and also keep them happy, they will pop in and out of the extra boxes throughout the day and may even sit in them for shelter from the elements, it’s a very easy way to add a little extra enrichment to your run area.

You can mix up the enrichment by alternating the smaller ideas, this means they will have new things to look at, explore and do every time you switch one out for another.

Maintaining a bio secure area can prevent transmission of disease and viruses to your hens. Although some viruses are airborne most can be prevented by keeping a clean disinfected area. We recommend using Virkon S, this is a powdered disinfectant that you add to water, please make sure you dilute according to the quantities recommended by the manufacturer so as to kill the right bacteria, viruses.

Most flight chickens will roost and perch and you should provide a roosting bar for night time rooting. For bantams use a thinner doweling for roosting, if you use a thick piece of wood that is too flat and wide their little feet can’t grasp it properly and this can cause long term damage to their feet and possible lameness over time. Most flightless birds like Silkies, Brahma, Cochin etc… have no natural inclination to be up high and will happily sleep on the floor of the coop and as a rule do not need a roosting bar.