Chicken fever in Missouri

[luvfunstuff]

Hi all! 1 1/2 years ago we started with Romeo and Juliet, white silkies. Now we have 6 silkies(they had offspring), 5 sex-link hens and 3 easter-egger hens, plus whatever chicks have hatched under one of our silkies today. Not sure how many there are, or exactly what we have yet but we're excited. (I believe I saw a few sex-link hen eggs in the batch she was brooding) Our chicken house is a pull-behind camper that we picked up for $200. We took out the plumbing & stove and it makes a very secure home with lots of ventilation windows, a door, and even a closet and some cabinets for storing food & hay. I covered the windows with hardware cloth to keep out determined varmints and so far no one has bothered them. Of course our German shepherd & our Great Pyrenees mix keep most critters at a distance as they are holy terrors on anything that tries to invade our space. We have about 30 acres w/pond and mostly woods, with 4 acres of field. For now, the chickens have complete free range but we're tiring of stepping on "chicken bombs"

(the poos!) so I'm thinking about fencing off an area about 100 X 50 feet that would include a combination of some woods, lawn & field for them to roam & scratch. Does this sound like enough space for about 15-25 chickens? or will they scratch it to bare dirt in no time? Cheers!

 

[Imp]

from Washington

That's a lot of space, but may become dirt. Someone on here recommends a minimum of 450 sf per bird to maintain a chance of grass in a run. I have 4 hens in a 6000 sf backyard with about 3000 sf of grass and they still do some spot damage.

Good luck

Imp

 

[Backyard Hencam]

You couldn't buy the materials for a flimsy coop for $200! Smart move!

 

[b.hromada]

Thats the way to do it!!

and

from S. Florida! Glad you joined us!

 

[Gonzo]

from Indiana

 

[4-H chicken mom]

and

from Ohio

 

[BarredBuff]

 

[Lolita]

 

[NewHopePoultry]

Im in Missouri too

 

[Cindiloohoo]