big enough run to leave it grass?

[aim4balance]

Hi there!
This is my first time with chickens. I built my chicken run 6 ft wide by 24 feet long. I put pine shavings in the bottom of the coop; however is my run big/long enough for 5 chickens to live in without needing to also put shavings in the run? Right now the chicks are 3.5 weeks old, but it is so hot here, they are out in the coop/run all day (and back to sleep in the brooder at night).

Thanks!

 

[JackE]

Eventually, the chickens will eat all the grass in that run. At 6X24', it's really not that big. I have a "run" that is surrounded by 650' of electrified poultry net, and it still has plenty of grass, going on 4yrsThey knocked some holes in it, for the most part it's still grass. You need a pretty big space for them to not eat every sprig of vegetation in there. But, for now, you don't have to put any kind of bedding in there. Later you may have to throw something in there, if it turns into a mud pit.

 

[aim4balance]

Ah, bummer. I had thought the average 10 sq ft/chicken rule (which for my 5 chickens would be 50 sq feet), compared to what I actually have (144 total sq ft--29 sq ft per bird) would give the grass more chance for continuing to grow.