How many is reasonable for my space?

[StarBop]

Ok... I need some opinions from people with experience. I have found tons of information from this site, but I have one question I can't find an answer for. I am starting a backyard flock with in the month. We are a family of four. We are in a very rural area on just over 1/2 an acre. We have neighbors on each side and large cornfields in front and behind our house. The majority of our property is a completely fenced back yard. We are building a stationary coop and run and would like to free range them under supervision. What I'm stuck on is how many should we get? I was told to have 2 chickens per family member so that would be eight. We will be sharing the yard with the chickens, I don't want it completely taken over by them. Do we have enough space for 8 as long as we make the coop and run an adequate size? Oh I am looking into a mixed flock of blue laced red wyandotte, olive egger, buff orpington, and barred rock ( not necessarily all of these).

 

[Judy]

Unfortunately, there isn't a single "right" answer. You're bound to get the standard response of 4 sq ft per bird in the coop and 10 sq ft per bird in the run. This is an estiate of how much space they need to prevent serious pecking and/or cannibalism. Chickens don't usually like to go out in the snow, so you might consider a covered or protected area outdoors to allow them to avoid being in the coop 24/7, because if they are, 4 sq ft per bird is not likely to be sufficient.

They will wander over whatever area they are not fenced off from, so if you want part of your yard, or your patio, driveway, etc. to be chicken free, they will need to be fenced.

I'll give you some really good links on housing them up north and amount of space. Good luck!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-much-room-do-chickens-need

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/winter-coop-temperatures

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop

 

[Mrs. K]

Unless you eat a lot of eggs, I think you could get by pretty well with only 5 hens. I would suggest going with less hens at first. Then add younger ones as you thin older ones. For good egg production, it is best to have a multiple ages. Pullets will lay through the dark days of winter, older hens lay bigger eggs.

Mrs K

 

[StarBop]

Unless you eat a lot of eggs, I think you could get by pretty  well with only 5 hens. I would suggest going with less hens at first. Then add younger ones as you thin older ones. For good egg production, it is best to have a multiple ages. Pullets will lay through the dark days of winter, older hens lay bigger eggs.

Mrs K

This is exactly how I feel. I really needed to hear it with someone with experience. . I think I'll start with a goal of 5 and add to it. That gives me a chance to explore new breeds and decide if I really like the breeds we started with. Plus I'm not looking forward to the day Im faced with an entire flock who isn't producing. Thank you!

 

[Ridgerunner]

How many eggs does your family need? You’ll probably get something close to 6 eggs a week from each hen with the breeds you’ve chosen in peak laying season. That can add up pretty fast.

What will you do with a spent hen? As you obviously know they lay less as they get older. Not everyone is up to eating their older hens. Could you give them away knowing they will almost certainly be eaten? Personally I raise them for meat so that is not an issue for me but I think this is important for people to consider.

My basic laying/breeding flock is 7 or 8 hens with a rooster. The method I use is a two and a half year cycle. I keep four pullets each year. These often lay throughout the first winter without me adding any lights, but not always. I keep the previous summer’s four hens through their first winter and let them molt naturally. I keep the previous four through that summer but eat them when they molt and stop laying. That way I don’t have to feed them through the molt but I get the best production out of them.

There are plenty of other ways to do this, but I suggest you come up with a plan on how you expect to handle this, then come up with how much space you need for that number, including when you add more. On a half-acre lot you can handle a lot more, but they get expensive to feed. Starting small and adding more later is probably the right approach but leave yourself some flexibility to grow.

 

[Krazzy]

This is exactly how I feel. I really needed to hear it with someone with experience. . I think I'll start with a goal of 5 and add to it. That gives me a chance to explore new breeds and decide if I really like the breeds we started with. Plus I'm not looking forward to the day Im faced with an entire flock who isn't producing. Thank you!

This would be a nice way to start. I might suggest getting 7 In case you lose some to hawks or other preditors. You could also lose a chick in the brooder. I lost 4-5 last year. But unlike you my yard is not fenced.

Good luck with chicken math

 

[StarBop]

We are getting our chicks from someone local who has a small blrw breeding program. They will be straight run so we will be getting a few more chicks than we anticipate keeping. He did say he would help us with any Roos.

 

[aart]

..... You’ll probably get something close to 6 eggs a week from each hen with the breeds you’ve chosen in peak laying season. ......

I think they meant 6 eggs a day.

 

[Mrs. K]

If you have a local breeder, I think I would start with hens that are laying. The breeder more than likely has perfectly good hens, but not quite perfect for the breed, and could move out some year old birds to make room for new ones. It is fun to raise chicks, and if you want to do that, go ahead, I am not raining on your parade, but it is a LONGGGGG 5-6 months before you get eggs. Chicks can be fragile, where as older hens are more sturdy, will start laying in days, and can give you a little chicken experience.

And you will get all hens, no rooster worries. If you get one of your girls to go broody, go back to the breeder and get some fertilized eggs...... I am working with a breeder now, he wanted me to take on some roosters and hens, that he didn't like quite as well as his show pair, but if something happens to his flock, as in a predator attack, I would have some of the original breeding stock.

Just an idea.

Mrs K

 

[Ridgerunner]

..... You’ll probably get something close to 6 eggs a week from each hen with the breeds you’ve chosen in peak laying season. ......

I think they meant 6 eggs a day.

Nope, I've yet to get a hen that regularly lays 6 eggs a day per hen. I have several hens that average about 6 eggs a week in peak laying season.