Square Footage Requirements of Laying Hens

Laying hens do not require a large amount of space as some commercial farmers will keep laying hens in cages with less than 1 square foot of space per hen. However, not having enough space results in cannibalism caused by overcrowding and respiratory problems caused from ammonia naturally present in chicken droppings.

  1. Stacked Cages

    • Stacking cages take up the least amount of space and are designed to provide minimum square footage requirements for laying hens. This type of housing method should provide white layers at least 1-1/2 square foot of space per hen and brown layers at least 2 square feet of space per hen.

    Chicken Coop

    • The space requirements for the coop method of housing consist of internal (coop) and external (yard) dimensions. Internal coop square footage offers each hen 3 to 5 square feet of space. External yard square footage offers each hen at least 10 square feet of space. For example, for a flock of 4 hens, the total square footage for both coop and yard should be 52 to 60 square feet.

    Free Range

    • Alternatively, some farmers allow their hens to roam freely on their property and only coop them at night. In this case, the space requirements for a sleeping coop or cage coop can be a minimum of 1-1/2 to 2 square feet per hen.