How much paddock space per bird?

[Chickensaurus Rex]

I'm looking at dividing up my acreage into zones; mostly for a combination of pasture rotation and keeping my 9 girls from wandering too far. Is there a good rule of thumb for how much square footage per bird in a free range-ish zone?

Does the habitat/land type change this number? The fenced in area attached to their run now is fairly grassy and sunny but could use a break; the area on the other side that I could attach more fencing to is dappled forest with little greenery at chicken height but deep leaf litter/rotting wood for tons of bugs. The zone that needs a rest is about 2000 sq feet and I'm wondering if the woodland zone needs to be bigger.

 

[nuthatched]

Rule of thumb is 10sq feet per bird at the minimum, I don't know if there's a max territory but I wouldn't give them any area you can't get to quickly if needed.

 

[NatJ]

The zone that needs a rest is about 2000 sq feet and I'm wondering if the woodland zone needs to be bigger.

Depending on how long you want them to stay in one area before you rotate, yes, it would probably be best if the woodland zone is bigger than the current zone.

Is there a good rule of thumb for how much square footage per bird in a free range-ish zone?

I have never seen a rule of thumb that was widely accepted. I do not think there could be one, because the vegetation and climate can be very different from one situation to another (how long it takes the chickens to eat it down or scratch it up, and how fast it regrows afterward.)

How often you move them is important too. A size that is fine for a few days could be completely bare and dead if you leave them for months. The sooner you move the chickens, the sooner it can recover enough to bring them back. The longer you leave the chickens, and the more dead the area is, the longer it will take to come back. (Example: if they eat blades of grass, the grass grows new blades quickly. If they kill the grass roots, it will take much longer to establish new grass from seed.)

Rule of thumb is 10sq feet per bird at the minimum, I don't know if there's a max territory but I wouldn't give them any area you can't get to quickly if needed.

That rule of thumb is based on having the chickens not kill or bully each other in the run. If you want plants to stay alive, you will need much more space than that.

OP's 9 chickens have been in 2000 square feet, which means they have over 200 square feet per chicken, and that area currently needs a break.

 

[nuthatched]

That rule of thumb is based on having the chickens not kill or bully each other in the run. If you want plants to stay alive, you will need much more space than that.

I know, I said the rule of thumb is the minimum but I didn't know what the maximum would be or even if there was one.


Considering the density of foraging and thing for them to do in the wooded area, the roaming area can probably be reduced by a great deal without issue if necessary.