Breed question

[Bostongrl]

Hey all!!

I have a question for all the experienced flock tenders! I originally ordered 6 chicks to pick up in June: 2 Americanas(Easter Eggers), 2 Lavender Orpingtons and 2 speckled sussex. Well, yesterday I noticed that Barnevelders were available on that date as well, so being the impulsive individual that I am, I added 2 to my order. My question is, should I keep all in my order, or should I take 2 out(because I'm a beginner and only have a 4,200 square foot lot and they'll be in a large run most of the time for safety purposes)? If I make my flock smaller, which ones would you recommend I remove?

Thanks in advance for the advice!!

 

[Mrs. K]

4,200 square feet? This would be very large? Maybe you missed typed or measured wrong? 4,200 square feet would be 70 feet by 60 feet. Which would be more than enough room for 8 birds.

Maybe I am not understanding - is the lot 4200 feet, and you have a coop and run on that?

Mrs K

 

[Bostongrl]

That's my entire yard, I intend on free ranging when I'm home(to keep an eye on them). The actual run is going to be at least 10x10. Sorry for the confusion, totally my fault!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I see no problem mixing those breeds. If you do get any behavioral problems it will be because of individual personalities, not anything to do with breed.

Unless the whole area is available to them from when they wake up until they go to bed you can only consider the 10 x 10 area. One of the rules of thumb you often see on here is 4 square feet per chicken in the coop and 10 square feet per chicken in the run. I don't know how big your coop is or if it is included in that 10 x 10 area. Some people use other rules of thumb for space requirements. You can get some of my thoughts on space requirements and why they vary so much if you follow the link in my signature below.

I personally do not believe in hard and fast numbers like that. We have so many differences in how we manage them, our weather, flock make-up, and other things that our actual needs can vary a lot. I assume by your screen name that you can have some rough patches in winter where they may not be able to go out in the run for an extended time. Some people are OK with that 4 square feet in the coop in those conditions but some wind up needing more room.

Knowing more about how your entire area will be set up could help me make more specific suggestions. Everything together is a system so it means more than any one component.

Good luck!

 

[Bostongrl]

I see no problem mixing those breeds. If you do get any behavioral problems it will be because of individual personalities, not anything to do with breed.

Unless the whole area is available to them from when they wake up until they go to bed you can only consider the 10 x 10 area. One of the rules of thumb you often see on here is 4 square feet per chicken in the coop and 10 square feet per chicken in the run. I don't know how big your coop is or if it is included in that 10 x 10 area. Some people use other rules of thumb for space requirements. You can get some of my thoughts on space requirements and why they vary so much if you follow the link in my signature below.

I personally do not believe in hard and fast numbers like that. We have so many differences in how we manage them, our weather, flock make-up, and other things that our actual needs can vary a lot. I assume by your screen name that you can have some rough patches in winter where they may not be able to go out in the run for an extended time. Some people are OK with that 4 square feet in the coop in those conditions but some wind up needing more room.

Knowing more about how your entire area will be set up could help me make more specific suggestions. Everything together is a system so it means more than any one component.

Good luck!

Hi Ridgerunner! I actually live in Kentucky(via Boston, hence the screen name), so I worry about the summer heat/humidity moreso than the cold. The 10x10 would include a raised coop so they could go underneath it. The coop plans I have are I think 24 square feet(6x4) but can be modified to be larger. It hasn't been built yet but I'm going to start prepping the area over the course of the next couple of weeks. I pick up the chicks on 6/4. Luckily for me, the person building the coop/run will build to suit. He thinks I'm certifiably insane(he's probably right) but doesn't care, he'll build whatever I want. I just want to do right by the ladies.

 

[K0k0shka]

The heat of summer is worse for chickens than the cold of winter, even though a lot of people assume the opposite. I would not recommend going under the absolute minimum of 4 square feet per chicken in the coop, and 10 per chicken in the run, regardless of when or how much they free range. Overcrowding leads to all kinds of problems. And make sure the coop is well ventilated for summer - lots of open area, ideally have a (predator-proof hardware cloth) screen door in place of the human access door, in addition to lots of windows and other vents, maybe even fans inside, too. I'm in Boston and heat is a problem here in the summer, I can only imagine that much further south. My coop is in full shade all day, 5x7 feet for 6 chickens, two open windows, 6"-tall wraparound vents at the top of the walls, and the human door is a screen door, plus two fans, and my chickens still pant at night.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I grew up in the Cumberland Gap area in Tennessee next to the Kentucky state line so I have an idea of your climate. You are not going to see temperatures well below zero Fahrenheit so cold isn't much of a threat as long as you can give them a way to get out of the winter wind and keep the water from freezing. Summer can be hot but as long as they have shade, ventilation, and fresh clean water they should be able to handle it. You will have days in the winter where the strong cold winds and probably snow keep them in the coop section only though.

My concern is not so much of the danger posed by the weather but from the restrictions it puts on their living conditions. I find the tighter I keep them the more behavioral issues I have to deal with, the harder I have to work, and the less flexibility I have to deal with issues. Behavioral issues might be fighting, feather picking or all the way to cannibalism. Working harder could be different things but one is poop management. The less room you have the more the poop builds up so the harder you have to work to manage it. Flexibility could be a lot of things and the one I value the most. Without enough room I don't have many options to handle a predator problem, treat an injured or sick hen, integrate new chickens, manage a broody hen, or much or anything.

Chickens do not understand the concept of coop space versus run space. All they know is whether or not they have enough room whenever they need it regardless of what it is called. "If" is an important word here. If you consider your run predator safe, if a cold wind is not hitting them when they are sleeping, and if they can get outside in all weather, you can easily get by with a smaller coop. Just leave the pop door open so they can get out anytime they want to. But if they cannot get outside then that smaller coop can be a huge problem.

People do keep 8 hens in a 6' x 4' coop and 10' x 10' run. It often works but your margin for error is tighter. An 8 x 4 coop is better but still is not a guarantee. I'd suggest you go larger (an 8x4 is probably sufficient). Good luck!