Chicken coop plans for 8 chickens start at 32 sq ft of coop floor at our 4 sq ft a bird, and every one of our four 6x8 coops gives them 37 (4.6 each). What none of the four delivers is the 64 to 80 sq ft of run that extension sources list for birds that live in the pen, so the decision is about run space, headroom and siding, not the coop floor.
Eight is an awkward number. It is one under the ceiling of the 6x8 chicken coop (rated 6 to 9) and the middle of the 6x8 walk-in’s range (7 to 10), which is why the four designs on this page all land here. They share a floor, a three-box nest bank and a 6-foot-wide footprint, and they differ in walls, cladding and run. If you want the deeper side-by-side, the 6x8 guide walks all of them.
What eight hens need
Oregon State puts the floor at 3 sq ft a bird when there is a run, Penn State at 1.5 to 2, and the poultry extension network at 3 to 4. We build to 4, so eight hens means 32 sq ft. For the run, Penn State lists 8 sq ft for laying hens and 10 for large chickens, and poultry.extension.org says 10, which makes 64 to 80 sq ft for eight. Oregon State’s one nest box per four hens gives two boxes; Penn State’s two for the first four and one for each four after gives three. All four 6x8 designs have three.
Roost is the easy one. Penn State asks 6 inches a bird and Oregon State 5 to 10, so eight hens want 48 to 80 inches. The 6x8 chicken coop builds two 49-inch bars (98 inches) and the three walk-in variants build 147. At our 1-in-10 vent default a 32 sq ft floor wants 3.2 sq ft of opening, and all four list 3.3.
The four 6x8 designs at eight hens
| Plan | Skin | Walls | Coop sq ft per hen at 8 | Run sq ft per hen at 8 | Rated | Roost bars built | Materials | Build |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6x8 chicken coop | gable | 54” | 4.6 | 6.0 | 6-9 | 98 in | $2,700-$3,450 | 26-34 hrs |
| 6x8 walk-in | lap siding | 72” | 4.6 | 7.5 | 7-10 | 147 in | $2,900-$3,750 | 30-38 hrs |
| 6x8 pallet-clad | reclaimed pallet boards | 72” | 4.6 | 7.5 | 7-10 | 147 in | $2,850-$3,800 | 38-50 hrs |
| 6x8 modern | board-and-batten | 72” | 4.6 | 7.5 | 7-10 | 147 in | $3,600-$4,700 | 40-52 hrs |
The floor is identical, 37 sq ft, because the footprint is identical. Everything that moves is above or outside it. The chicken coop is a gable with 54-inch walls, a 20-inch floor clearance and a 48 sq ft run. The three walk-in variants are shed-roof buildings with 72-inch walls, a 12-inch clearance and a 60 sq ft run, and they differ only in what covers the studs.
Which 6x8 for which yard
The 6x8 chicken coop is the cheapest at $2,700 to $3,450, and it is the one that sits highest: a 20-inch floor leaves a shaded strip underneath that a hen can walk into. The price you pay is the 54-inch wall. You reach in through an access panel and work the back of a 66-inch-deep floor bent over, which is fine for a weekly scrape and miserable for catching a sick bird. At eight hens you are one below its ceiling, so there is no room to add.
The 6x8 walk-in costs $200 to $300 more, takes 4 more hours at the low end, and gives you 72-inch walls and a 12 sq ft bigger run. Its data class is “tall reach-in”, not walk-in; the first true walk-in door is on the 8-foot-wide plans. At eight hens it sits mid-range, which is why we call it the sweet spot of the four. Pick it if you are not paying for a look.
Siding is where the price spread comes from
Same studs, same roof, same flock. The modern coop wears vertical boards and battens and costs $700 to $950 more than the lap-sided walk-in, plus 10 to 14 hours. The pallet-clad coop is $2,850 to $3,800 against $2,900 to $3,750 for lap, so the free boards save nothing on paper, and the build runs 38 to 50 hours plus about 10 to strip the pallets. Choose by the yard: street-facing or under an HOA that reviews exteriors, modern; a back fence, lap.
The run is the weak spot at eight
Forty-eight sq ft is 6 per hen and 60 is 7.5, both under the 8 to 10 that Penn State and poultry.extension.org list. A 6x8 flock of eight needs daily time out of the pen, or a bigger footprint.
| Plan | Coop floor | Run | Run per hen at 8 | Rated | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6x8 walk-in | 37 sq ft | 60 sq ft | 7.5 | 7-10 | $2,900-$3,750 |
| 6x10 walk-in | 47 sq ft | 72 sq ft | 9.0 | 9-12 | $3,200-$4,100 |
| 8x8 walk-in | 51 sq ft | 80 sq ft | 10.0 | 10-13 | $3,200-$4,100 |
The 6x10 walk-in and the 8x8 walk-in both run $300 to $350 above the 6x8 walk-in, and both clear the run line (9 and 10 sq ft a hen at eight). The 6x10 is still 6 feet wide. The 8x8 is the first true walk-in, with 76-inch walls and a 34 by 74 inch door, and it is rated for 10 to 13, so eight hens leave room to grow.
What about a tractor for eight?
None of ours carries eight. The largest is the 6x10 A-frame tractor, rated 4 to 6 hens, $800 to $1,025. Two of them cost $1,600 to $2,050 and would give four hens each 4.75 sq ft of coop and 8.25 of run. That is our arithmetic, not a tested setup, and you would be building two projects of 22 to 30 hours each, then dragging both across the lawn.
Every spec and cut list is free on the plan pages. The complete printable book is $4.99 on Etsy for each of the four.
