When they say "free range" do they mean all day long? See, I'm in Raleigh, and our chickens must be penned.
Well sorta. What I think is intended there is that they aren't in the COOP anytime but at night. Freerange is SUCH a misused term. Penned, even if in a large yard, is not freeranged. Sorry.
Would this coop and run I've listed above be suitable for 4-6 full-size hens (egg layers, no breeding), if they will only get to be out and about for a limited time?
With the run, barely. Without it, I'd say no. I wouldn't want half a dozen heavies all day in something that comes to me via UPS. Chickens belong OUTSIDE during the day - not "cooped up" (thus the term).
Look at it like this. Go out to the garage, or wherever, and find a floor tile. Or go into the kitchen or somewhere that is tiled. Each common floor tile is one square foot.
Now, measure off 4 of them together on two sides, which equals 16 total in a square. That is 4 square feet. If you dont have chickens right now, find a five gallon bucket and put it in the middle of the tiles. The bucket simulates a large laying chicken, like a Rock or Australorp.
This experiment graphically illustrates what I have been saying. It's not much room for a large, active animal like an adult hen, let alone a grown cock.
But, wait, we're not done.
Now, cram those big layers and their boys into your coop - into which you also shoehorn feeders, waterers, roosts, nests, grit feeders and whatever faddish things you think the chickens will like.
Getting kinda cramped, aint it?
Truth is, chickens belong outside. The exceptions are roosting (sleeping at night) and laying. For the most part they should eat and drink outside, breed outside and just generally be, well... outside. But there is still a problem you have top face.
Chickens tear up whatever landscape they are on. Most people who have them take this for granted - most newbies don't know about it 'til it happens!
Soon, all grass is gone and the entire area is devoid of life. While all this is going on, the birds never stop pooping everywhere. Did you know that about 70% of the food that goes in the front end of a chicken goes right back out the rearas droppings? And then the rain comes...
Remember when I talked about waste control. Well, you probably get the picture. Unless the earth can absorb them and there "wasteful" habits, then you have to manage it. You'll want to move that pretty little coop once every few days to new ground to do that.
I started out like everyone else and learned alot, the hard way. Currently I have a 40 by 40 pen, with NO birds. The earth in there is resting and sweetening for the next crop. When I get them, I wont have many more than 8 in there, maybe 10. That's it. If I do it this way, I find I have no problems with flies, muck, disease, whining neighbors and so on.
I don't want to scare you; remember what I said about being sensitive earlier. But this is chicken reality. I believe it's better you hear it now, than later.
in one side of the barn so until i can more that im not sure how much space i really have. could that work for the boys?
