What Do Pets Need

Birds and chickens

Cage size, bar spacing and setup for pet birds, and coop space for backyard hens.

What does a budgie need?A cage of at least 20 x 20 x 30 in, more room for each extra bird, hours out of the cage, natural perches and a mostly pellet diet. What does a cockatiel need?At least 2 x 2 x 3 ft of cage for each bird, bars 0.5 in apart, perches the toes wrap round, and pellets with vegetables. What do lovebirds need?A cage of at least 2 x 2 x 3 ft, 10% more for each bird over two, natural perches, and pellets with some seed. What do finches need?Company, a cage of at least 18 x 18 x 30 in with 12 mm mesh, room to fly between perches, and a level teaspoon of seed a day at most. What does a canary need?A cage of at least 1 x 1 x 2 ft, ideally big enough to fly, 1 to 2 teaspoons of pellets and seed a day, greens, a cuttlefish bone and a bath. Chicken coop and run size per henCoop floor, run space, perch length and nest boxes for your number of hens, by each extension service and welfare source. Bird cage bar spacing by birdThe bar spacing for budgies, cockatiels, lovebirds, conures and macaws, and the mesh size for finches and canaries.

Cage size and bar spacing for pet birds, and coop space for hens

The bigger cage where the sources differ, and the bar spacing in Merck’s table
BirdSmallest cageBar spacing or mesh
Budgie20 x 20 x 30 in (51 x 51 x 76 cm)0.5 in (12.7 mm)
Cockatiel2 x 2 x 3 ft for each bird0.5 in (12.7 mm)
Lovebirds2 x 2 x 3 ft (60 x 60 x 90 cm)0.5 in (12.7 mm)
Finches18 x 18 x 30 in (45 x 45 x 76 cm)Gaps too narrow for its head to fit through
Canary1 x 1 x 2 ft (30 x 30 x 60 cm)Gaps too narrow for its head to fit through
Conure36 x 24 x 48 in (91 x 61 x 122 cm)0.75 in (19 mm)
Hens3 sq ft of coop floor each, with a run1 x 2 in mesh around the run

Cages are length x width x height. Whatever the bird, it must not be able to fit its head between the bars. The hens row is Oregon State’s.

Where we get our information from

Cage sizes and bar spacing come from VCA, RSPCA Australia and the Merck Veterinary Manual, and coop space from Oregon State University Extension. Checked against published data from VCA Animal Hospitals, RSPCA Australia, Merck Veterinary Manual and Oregon State University Extension.

See all 7 sources
  • RSPCA Australia knowledgebase, How should I house my bird?
  • RSPCA Australia knowledgebase, What kind of enclosure does my bird need?
  • Merck Veterinary Manual, Table: Minimum cage and bar spacing recommendations (birds)
  • VCA Animal Hospitals, Cockatiels: general information; Feeding cockatiels
  • VCA Animal Hospitals, Finches: general; Feeding finches
  • VCA Animal Hospitals, Housing small birds
  • Oregon State University Extension, EC 1644: Backyard chicken coop design (2014, reviewed 2023, PDF)

Elsewhere on What Do Pets Need

HomeReptilesFishSmall petsDogs and catsFoodGuides

General care guidance from animal welfare charities, vets and makers' published sizes. It isn't veterinary advice: if your pet seems unwell or has eaten something it shouldn't, call your vet.