Any tips on first time chicken raiser? (New member!)

Pics
Date sort Score sort
Igloo said:
Thanks! Do you think a 4x4 chicken coop is large enough to hold 5-6 chickens?
Click to expand...
In most cases, bigger is better. But you should try to provide four square feet per bird. In free range cases, when they spend all their time outside and you have a covered area to get out of rain, you can get away with half that, two square feet per bird. If they are confined, you should try to give them twelve square feet per bird. This is all for the average chicken, heavies need more, bantams require almost half the space.
Hope this helps.
 
Gallinarium said:
In most cases, bigger is better. But you should try to provide four square feet per bird. In free range cases, when they spend all their time outside and you have a covered area to get out of rain, you can get away with half that, two square feet per bird. If they are confined, you should try to give them twelve square feet per bird. This is all for the average chicken, heavies need more, bantams require almost half the space.
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the advice! I do have a relatively small backyard, some of the space occupied by garden beds, however, from what people have been saying, I believe I am A-Okay. Now though, kind of concerned when winter approaches and the chickens will be confined for most of the day, I don't want the egg production to slow, and do not want them to be confined all day. Recommendations?
 
Igloo said:
Thank you for the advice! I do have a relatively small backyard, some of the space occupied by garden beds, however, from what people have been saying, I believe I am A-Okay. Now though, kind of concerned when winter approaches and the chickens will be confined for most of the day, I don't want the egg production to slow, and do not want them to be confined all day. Recommendations?
Click to expand...
Make it BIGGER and with an attached covered run.
When people make these recommendations for a coop size based on free ranging they seem to be forgetting that some people live where there are real winters. Most chickens will not go out and roam around in the snow. They may willingly walk through it or down paths to get some place, if there is some place to get, but they generally do not go out in the snow.
So you build something that can be winterized and they will have a place to go and hang out and be safe.
IMG_20191203_081415209.jpg
 
DobieLover said:
Make it BIGGER and with an attached covered run.
When people make these recommendations for a coop size based on free ranging they seem to be forgetting that some people live where there are real winters. Most chickens will not go out and roam around in the snow. They may willingly walk through it or down paths to get some place, if there is some place to get, but they generally do not go out in the snow.
So you build something that can be winterized and they will have a place to go and hang out and be safe.
View attachment 2169697
Click to expand...
Good idea! Is that your own coop + run? If so, I love it! I think I will tweak my run plans to have a roof, but, I still want them to have sunlight from above. How should I do this?
 
Igloo said:
Good idea! Is that your own coop + run? If so, I love it! I think I will tweak my run plans to have a roof, but, I still want them to have sunlight from above. How should I do this?
Click to expand...
Yes, that's my coop and run. Enough sun comes in through the walls. A solid roof is fine. The sun is lower in the sky during winter.
 
Hi and welcome to BYC! We're so glad you joined us! :frow When it comes to your coop and run, bigger is ALWAYS better. Overcrowding can lead to all sorts of behavior issues.
(And trust me, those habits are hard to break :he ) Lots of ventilation is very important, and don't use chicken wire for anything, use hardware cloth instead. :)
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom