Greetings flipflops,
Your space is adequate for 7 chickens. However, if they are to be confined you should add another connecting pen. The more space you have the better.
Some breeds of chickens, do not take well to long confinement. And, sometimes you can have a docile breed with a feisty personality, that will torment the other chickens out of boredom.
Contrary to popular belief, chickens are very intelligent. And if you couple that with boredom, well, this can be a recipe for disaster. Chickens can cannibalize and be very brutal. I just saw a post yesterday, of a chicken that had a huge hole torn out of it's neck, by some of the other chickens.
Nambroth offers some very good solutions for environment enrichment. Also, putting a hen saddle on the victimized chickens will help. Peepers on the bullies, may or may not work. If a hen goes for the head or neck, there could be a fatality. Brain injury from constant pecking is also a sad result of bullying. I am working with another member on this exact situation right now. Unfortunately, the member mixed a bantam in with large standard sized hens. Mixing in small breeds with large, is also a huge risk, not recommended.
Putting in some objects that the new hens can hide behind is also helpful. Chickens also like platforms, like tables they can fly up on. A little alfalfa hay pen in the corner, will also keep them busy till you can expand the run.
The hens are busy scratching through the alfalfa hay, in this tiny hay enclosure. I made it with some chicken wire, old beach umbrella pole, cinder block and wood platform entry, my hubby made.
Here are my hens enjoying the morning in the attached, recreation pen. You can see the hay enclosure in the corner.
The chickens nibbling on some scratch as they peck it out of the holes in the plastic bottle. (Use plastic Parmesan cheese bottles with flip top, they fill easier.) The orange thing with the holes, is a Hentastic Snack feeder. They like this too.
You may also be interested in purchasing an electrified poultry netting fence. Then, you can let them out of the pen into this corral type set up. Premier 1, has them online.
Another popular solution is to build a chicken tractor, then you can move the chickens around the property to forage in safety.
Well, I hope this info has been helpful to you.
God Bless.
Your space is adequate for 7 chickens. However, if they are to be confined you should add another connecting pen. The more space you have the better.
Some breeds of chickens, do not take well to long confinement. And, sometimes you can have a docile breed with a feisty personality, that will torment the other chickens out of boredom.
Contrary to popular belief, chickens are very intelligent. And if you couple that with boredom, well, this can be a recipe for disaster. Chickens can cannibalize and be very brutal. I just saw a post yesterday, of a chicken that had a huge hole torn out of it's neck, by some of the other chickens.
Nambroth offers some very good solutions for environment enrichment. Also, putting a hen saddle on the victimized chickens will help. Peepers on the bullies, may or may not work. If a hen goes for the head or neck, there could be a fatality. Brain injury from constant pecking is also a sad result of bullying. I am working with another member on this exact situation right now. Unfortunately, the member mixed a bantam in with large standard sized hens. Mixing in small breeds with large, is also a huge risk, not recommended.
Putting in some objects that the new hens can hide behind is also helpful. Chickens also like platforms, like tables they can fly up on. A little alfalfa hay pen in the corner, will also keep them busy till you can expand the run.
The hens are busy scratching through the alfalfa hay, in this tiny hay enclosure. I made it with some chicken wire, old beach umbrella pole, cinder block and wood platform entry, my hubby made.
Here are my hens enjoying the morning in the attached, recreation pen. You can see the hay enclosure in the corner.
The chickens nibbling on some scratch as they peck it out of the holes in the plastic bottle. (Use plastic Parmesan cheese bottles with flip top, they fill easier.) The orange thing with the holes, is a Hentastic Snack feeder. They like this too.
You may also be interested in purchasing an electrified poultry netting fence. Then, you can let them out of the pen into this corral type set up. Premier 1, has them online.
Another popular solution is to build a chicken tractor, then you can move the chickens around the property to forage in safety.
Well, I hope this info has been helpful to you.
God Bless.
