Coop run for free range hens?

[Breadhead]

Hello all,

We purchased 9 one week old Brahmas and will only keep the hens. Hopefully at least 7 are hens. We will be keeping them as egg layers, not for eating. Many of our neighbors have free range chickens so there aren’t many predators in the immediate area (Meridian, Idaho).

The plan: To let them roam the yard all day and our yard is roughly 50’ x 35’ (ball park, might be bigger). With the exception of weekly mowing during the season and when we have occasional guest that might be scared of the big birds.

I am in the designing stage of our coop and have a couple questions…

First question, if the plan is to have them free range the majority of their life, do I need to take up yard space and make a 16’+ run?

2nd question, does the 4sqft (coop) per bird apply if keeping them locked up w/the run or can the coop be built in the 3sqft per bird if free ranging?
I was leaning towards a 6’x5’ raised coop and adding 6’ of run (12’x5’ of space when locked up).

Thoughts, suggestions, improvements?

Thanks for any feedback!

 

[Daniel Grey]

First question, if the plan is to have them free range the majority of their life, do I need to take up yard space and make a 16’+ run?

I personally would put them in a run with a 6ft fence and wire buried a foot down and a foot out with an overhang at the top but I am in an area with a high concentration of foxes.

 

[Daniel Grey]

But that might not be possible with the large size

 

[Daniel Grey]

2nd question, does the 4sqft (coop) per bird apply if keeping them locked up w/the run or can the coop be built in the 3sqft per bird if free ranging?
I was leaning towards a 6’x5’ raised coop and adding 6’ of run (12’x5’ of space when locked up).

Generally, make sure there is not so little room in a coop so that they cannot have a little wander, but if the coop is too big, they will not be able to warm the space properly.

 

[Daniel Grey]

But rather bigger than smaller because you will invariably be wanting to buy more after you catch the chicken bug!!!! Also, if your coop is too big you can put a large cardboard box on it's side, so then the chooks will hop in there as it is a smaller space to warm. You see, if chickens are cold, they will stay cold. If chickens get warmed a little, they can take it from there.

 

[Breadhead]

But rather bigger than smaller because you will invariably be wanting to buy more after you catch the chicken bug!!!! Also, if your coop is too big you can put a large cardboard box on it's side, so then the chooks will hop in there as it is a smaller space to warm. You see, if chickens are cold, they will stay cold. If chickens get warmed a little, they can take it from there.

The only way I’ll get more is if we buy a bigger property. Between now and then, this is the max hens I want hah. We already have a cockatiel and a 110gl reef tank that needs our attention

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Sorry to be a downer but 7 hens are going to decimate a 50x35 yard in one season. You won't be mowing anything. So the run would be beneficial to let it grow back from time to time. My chickens free range fall through winter but during spring when my yard and garden are trying to germinate, they go into the run through summer. This system works well for me. But I have 15 chickens in a run twice the size of your yard and 1 acre + for free ranging. So bottom line, I think you're going to want/need the run.

 

[NatJ]

2nd question, does the 4sqft (coop) per bird apply if keeping them locked up w/the run or can the coop be built in the 3sqft per bird if free ranging?

If they have to stay in the coop during bad weather, they need the larger amount of space, and sometimes even more.

If they have to stay in the coop after they wake up in the morning, waiting for you to come open a door and let them out, they also need the larger amount of space.

Given how big Brahmas can grow, I would not try to shrink the space at all. The only reason they can get away without even MORE space is that they tend to be particularly calm and docile. (Hatchery-quality ones may not grow as big, but may not be as calm either, so it works out to about the same space needs either way.)

Meridian, Idaho

Do you have cold winters, with snow all over the ground for weeks or months at a time? If yes, you should either build a covered run, or plan on making your coop bigger because they will have to spend so much time indoors.

Chickens usually do not like to walk in the snow, and the snow covers all the interesting things on the ground so they have no reason to come outside at all. They don't like cold wind either.

A run with a roof can provide a snow-free area for the chickens to spend time outside the coop in the winter.

To make the run more pleasant during the winter, you also want to block wind coming in from the sides. That might already happen because of your house, the coop, a perimeter fence, trees, or whatever other things are already present on your property. Or you might want to put up tarps or big pieces of plastic on some sides of the run during the winter (but do not enclose it completely, because you want enough ventilation to keep it from getting stinky inside.)

 

[Breadhead]

Sorry to be a downer but 7 hens are going to decimate a 50x35 yard in one season. You won't be mowing anything. So the run would be beneficial to let it grow back from time to time. My chickens free range fall through winter but during spring when my yard and garden are trying to germinate, they go into the run through summer. This system works well for me. But I have 15 chickens in a run twice the size of your yard and 1 acre + for free ranging. So bottom line, I think you're going to want/need the run.

Thank you for the honesty. It is possible and this is my first go around at chickens. If it gets to the point of them overpowering my yard, I’ll relocate a couple. But the plan is, to keep them. I like the idea of keeping them in the run for certain seasons, I might go with a longer run after all.
Like all people, we will upgrade… except, due to my profession, I absolutely need a 1 acre property with a large shop. That is another story and hopefully within the next 3yrs, that will come to fruition.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

The all day ranging everyday wont work out. They will be down the street digging up someones flower garden. Not a good situation. You can let them out a few hours before dusk for some ranging and that will save your lawn and keep them close to home.

With that in mind you want a large pen. Dogs and raccoon will be your major predators. The raccoon are night so as long as you lock up the coop every dusk you really only have to worry about dogs and that takes strong welded wire. The 2x4 inch welded wire fencing should suffice. You will want a roof on the run.

Go big with the run and small with the coop. There is no such thing as a 4 sqft per chicken rule. That is social media and not reality. Chickens will only go into the coop to lay eggs and roost if given a proper run. Humane coop area for large fowl is 2 sqft per bird. Count on a linear foot per bird for roosting. A 4x4 foot coop is all you need and put the nesting box outside for easy access to egg gathering. Cut 9x9 inch entrance to the nest with each nest being a square foot. This will encourage the girls to use it. Seven birds would need two nests.