Wish I had had some of this advise when I started with chickens. We are permitted for 10 chickens and they have their choice of 2 coops and an enclosure of 130 square feet. I think that gives them lots of room to explore and or run if need be.
As others have noted, the article covers all the important points you need, especially if you're just starting out. But I have to disagree with the rules of thumb for space requirements.
I began keeping a small backyard flock 6 years ago. I have 4 chickens. I built a coop and run based on those rules. I have a 4x4 coop and a 4x10 run attached to it (14 ft if you count the space under the coop). Pretty quick I realized that was going to be cramped when they grew.
While I think the coop size is fine (they tend to huddle together even in the summer months), the run would be looked too confining. Maybe they could survive there, but their quality of life would be diminished.
I ended up closing off a 15x20 foot area around the coop and run and gave them that area to move around in. Eventually *they* decided even that was not enough and one of the smaller hens began flying over the fence into the backyard.
While I could have clipped her wings or raise the fence height, I decided to let the girls free range throughout the backyard. I think they're much happier for it.
Obviously not everyone can do that, but I think the "rules" should be updated to allow for more space per bird. While that might result in fewer people owning backyard chickens I think it's ultimately better for the health and welfare of the chickens.
We wouldn't keep a dog confined in such comparatively close quarters, and we shouldn't keep our girls cramped in these small spaces either. It may be a controversial opinion, and maybe I've gone all soft since getting chickens, but living with these beautiful animals day-to-day has given me a much greater appreciation for their intellect and well being.
Well written article! The inclusion of the many factors that contribute to the health of our chickens reveals the tradeoffs that must be made in a given situation. We live in a suburban environment, and have built a run and a coop, but recognized early on that they are more content (and quiet!) when free ranging during the day in our fenced backyard. We do have predators around (fox, opossum, stray dogs), but that has never been an issue with us as we have "patrol" dogs for pets that keep the chickens safe and us notified if there is a situation that needs attention. The article has confirmed our decisions that were made by observation - thanks for writing it!
Eggcellent article! Very informative! You’ve given me affirmation on the size of my run. I started out free ranging my flock but lost every one of them to predators so now my new flock has a fully enclosed chicken run that is 2 part. The original run is 512 sq ft and the Extention is 191 sq ft. I currently have 18 hens so I know I have plenty of space for them but I like the Extention so that if I do have conflicts, I can separate without compromising space. We have 3 coops that we purchased from tractor supply but we also have plenty of roosting throughout the run. My plan is to build a single large walk-in coop that can house them all if they choose to use it. I have a couple that prefer to sleep outside in the rafters of the chicken run.
This is a good explanation of the finer points of space per chicken. Mentions several facts often overlooked when deciding available space for your chickens.
I am SO glad I found this forum. Everything is so useful that I have read. Helping us newbies keep it real is the most valuable thing here I believe.
As much as I would like a buncha breeds; nope, not gonna. Think I will stick with one M A Y B E two (people keep recommending Leghorns. Then I found out about brown ones, yeah baby). I had firstly decided upon Rainbow breed.
Thanks for this useful information. Gonna add it to my list of reference material.
Very helpful. Especially saying that breeds, individuals and flock dynamics do make a difference. Mentioning future plans, like adding chicks (quarantine or natural breeding) too. You might even want 2 setups for that.
On a forum in the Netherlands they advice slightly different rules of thumb.
If you have little space, its best to have only one friendly breed.
First 2 chickens need a minimum of 7m2 run space. The third another 2m2 more. The fourth, fifth etc. 1m2 more.
For happy chicken and a low maintenance run you double the minimum run space.
Very thorough with adjustments for all situations. I have 7 mongrel 'garden' chickens and 3 big fat Orpingtons. I had to take down a divider between 2 nest boxes to accommodate hens that cover a 9"x15" area when sitting! They're all in the coop at night & free range all day, with access to the coop. The 'jardineros' like to roost in trees during the day if it's hot. Over the past 9 months I've made a few changes to the coop to make life easier for them, especially in width of ramps in the coop for the Orpingtons.
Great article. I have a solar door so they come out at dawn and are in their coop at sunset. It works great and you don’t have to be there exactly when they wake up as they have come out on their own.
A very good, and well thought out article. I tend to want to give my chickens and ducks more room than they need. I wake up at 6am every morning to let them out and put them all up whenever the sun goes down. I take care of my birds because they take care of me.
