Backyard free range flock

[Hugerat]

So I have spent most of my time up until now thinking about the coop and run. Coop will be inside a current yard shed, they will get about 16 sq ft of a 80 sq foot shed and the run will be either 40 if I just put it on one side of the shed or 96 sq feet if I wrap around two sides of the shed.

My back yard is about 75 x 80 and is completely surrounded by a 4 foot cedar fence. I want to build a flock of birds that would be less flighty so I could let them free range a bit and not worry too much about getting in the neighbors yards, some are not fenced and one has a pretty aggressive male German Shepard who I think would love the birds a little too much. From a little research it looks like Buff Orpington, Speckled Sussex and the Wyandotte's would all fit this bill.

Any comments or additional suggestion are appreciated.

 

[Lesa]

You know there is no way to be sure your chickens won't jump a 4 foot fence. I have RIR-thought they would be too heavy to fly and they are, but they can kind of fly/hop over 4 feet, no problem. I eventually changed all my fencing to 6 foot. I had 26 birds, and maybe 5 of them were interested in "the other side of the fence". It wasn't too big a deal for me- I got a lot of exercise removing them from the garden- but they weren't jumping into a dogs mouth!! I would say, you'll just have to see what happens, with the birds you get. Maybe they won't show any interest "in the other side." Good luck!

 

[jdellosso]

You might consider fencing off a portion of your yard with 6-foot fencing designated for your flock. You may find, as many of my friends have, that you'll get pretty tired of always stepping in chicken poop when you go out to the back yard. If they have their designated area, you'll know your non-chicken shoes are safe. They also eat anything that grows, and will instantly decimate any green you have in your entire yard. This would also keep them safe from dogs and other predators, as well. Your neighbor's dog would make a small task of a 4-foot fence if he wanted chicken for dinner.

Good luck and have fun!