Birds per pen

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
Most breeder pens where? Everyone on here recommends at LEAST .75 sq. ft.

 

[mhwc56]

Quote:
Most breeder pens where? Everyone on here recommends at LEAST .75 sq. ft.

X 2 ...Shelley is right. That spacing is equivalent to the inhumane chicken battery cages that commercial egg production chickens are forced to suffer through.

 

[calihawker]

I'm planning on 12 birds in a little bigger than 2x4 pen. So would that be 2 males?

 

[Fat Daddy]

Quote:
If you are talking about coturnix I think you will be fine but on the edge. Yes 2 roos. It would help if they were brooded together, in my humble opinion. I would watch everyones head, looking for bald or scalped birds. You'll know if they get along soon enough. Its not always the roos that get testy, the top hen can do alot of damage too. Good luck, Bill

 

[mhwc56]

Quote:
If you are talking about coturnix I think you will be fine but on the edge. Yes 2 roos. It would help if they were brooded together, in my humble opinion. I would watch everyones head, looking for bald or scalped birds. You'll know if they get along soon enough. Its not always the roos that get testy, the top hen can do alot of damage too. Good luck, Bill

yes the hens can turn nasty !my oldest group got along great for almost 1 year;1roo/6 hens...then i moved them to a slightly smaller pen and now i have a hen that is missing an eye and all her head feathers.Of course she's my favorite hen ..big and sweet tempered ..pooor thing!

 

[thekid]

sorry i mean am keeping 15 or 16 in a 4 x 3.5 that is 14 sq ft lol srry i was tired when i was typing tht garbage lol

 

[thekid]

somewere on that page their is somebody who says .5 sq ft https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=464561&p=1 and her is the link thingy that was there http://www.surehatch.com/GQF-Model-0315-15-Section-Quail-Breeding-Pen.htm

 

[SuperPeacockman]

So I have rabbit hutch that is roughly 8 by 4. Are we talking 40 birds?

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
That is 1 post out of literally hundreds that say you need at least .75 sq. ft. per bird. Those are like quail battery cages, not something the typical 'backyard breeder' would want to use.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
Most breeder pens where? Everyone on here recommends at LEAST .75 sq. ft.

X 2 ...Shelley is right. That spacing is equivalent to the inhumane chicken battery cages that commercial egg production chickens are forced to suffer through.

Dr Leyland Hayes recommended .5 specifically for coturnix in his quail breeders newsletter (for bobs he raised the number slightly) that it worked for him is part of why I posted it that it works for me part of my success I believe is that my flock is in a state of constant flux ( I have culled fairly heavily the last year +) that and birds that are brooded together get along better then birds just put together. Part of my success is I only have one roo per pen so if you have tried something that is when I comment on it, things I have not tried I am reluctant to comment on having no experience in whatever it is I can only offer opinions not actual experience just the way I roll