Chicken coop design: house size and layout for the Philippines
Space, nests and perches from PNS and PAES.
Reserve nowBuild a free-range native chicken house for no more than 6 birds per m², with 31 cm of perch per hen, one nest for every 5 hens and at least 1 m² of outdoor range per bird (PNS/BAFS 262:2018). So 100 birds need about 17 m² of house. Rather buy than build? See our native chicken for sale in Ronda, Cebu.
Chicken house size calculator
Chicken house space by standard
| Item | Guideline |
|---|---|
| Native chicken houseFree-range, PNS/BAFS 262 | max 6 birds per m² |
| Outdoor rangeNative chicken | max 1 bird per m² |
| Shade on the range | 8–16 m² per 1,000 birds |
| Perch | 31 cm per hen |
| Nests | max 5 hens per nest |
| PopholesAt least 46 × 100 cm | 2+ per 500 birds |
| Layers, beyond 22 weeksLitter · slatted · slot-litter floor, PAES 403 | 17 · 9 · 14 m² per 100 |
| Growers, 7–22 weeksLitter · slatted · slot-litter floor | 14 · 6 · 7 m² per 100 |
| Feeder · waterer | 65 mm · 20 mm per bird |
Sources: PNS/BAFS 262:2018 Free-range chicken (native house, range, shade, perch, nests, popholes), PAES 403:2001 Housing for layer production (layers, growers, feeder, waterer). Minimums, not our farm’s plan.
How to build the house
Raised slatted floor
At least 900 mm above ground, slats 25–50 mm wide with 25–38 mm gaps, in sections you can lift for cleaning (PAES 403).
Roof and walls
GI or other durable roofing with at least 1 m overhang and gutters; walls of chicken wire or bamboo slats.
East–west, on dry ground
Long side east–west, on a well-drained site with free air flow, where the wind does not carry the smell to your house.
Example: a house for 500 native chickens
Using the PNS/BAFS 262 limits: 500 ÷ 6 = 83.3, so plan about 84 m² of floor, for example 12 × 7 m; at least 100 nests, 155 m of perch, 500 m² of range with 4–8 m² of shade, and two popholes or more. PAES 403 adds 32.5 m of feeder and 10 m of waterer space, with no bird more than 3 m from water. Each pophole should be no more than 10 m away for any bird inside.
Birds go out on the range from 30 days old, with at least 6 hours of daylight a day (PNS/BAFS 262). Feed, rooster ratio and Newcastle vaccine are in the native chicken farming guide and the chicken vaccination schedule.
Keeping hens for eggs? See what a tray sells for in egg price per tray, or reserve native eggs from us. Buying birds to sell? See native chicken prices and wholesale native chicken and eggs.
Gepanaga’s Farm in Ronda opens in April 2027. Reserve free-range native chicken: a vet health certificate with every batch, NMIS slaughter on request, a 30% deposit for seasonal reservations. Delivery in Ronda and southwest Cebu; Cebu City by arrangement.
Questions
How big should a chicken house be?
No more than 6 native chickens per m² of floor (PNS/BAFS 262:2018): about 17 m² for 100 birds, about 84 m² for 500.
How many nest boxes do I need?
At most 5 hens per nest (PNS/BAFS 262:2018). PAES 403 gives individual nests of 310 × 310 mm, 310–360 mm deep.
How high should a slatted chicken house floor be?
At least 900 mm above ground, on posts at least 200 mm thick (PAES 403:2001).
How much perch space does a hen need?
31 cm per hen (PNS/BAFS 262:2018).
How much outdoor space do free-range chickens need?
At most 1 native chicken per m² of range, with 8–16 m² of shade per 1,000 birds (PNS/BAFS 262:2018).
Sources: PNS/BAFS 262:2018 · PAES 403:2001 · BAFS standards list
