Chickens... let’s try again

[CynAlexa]

Recently I had to give up my 3 hens due to my lack of knowledge of the city & HOA rules. I was worried and fearful I’d get in trouble. I miss having chickens so much! I want to try again but this time I have contacted the city and HOA and know all the rules and regulations I need to follow. My questionfor you experienced chicken lovers is:
Do you clean the run daily?
Do you let the hens roam free daily?
How big does the run need to be for 3 hens if I don’t want to let them out daily?

i ask these questions to see if I was doing something wrong the first time and want to do things differently this second time around. Thanks for all you help and suggestions!

 

[LateBirdFarms]

The rule of thumb is 10 square feet of space per chicken in the run, but obviously the more the better if you can't free range. The cleaning of the run is something that can vary depending on your set up. In an urban environment I'd suggest a covered run to keep it as dry as possible, and with 3 hens your probably won't have too much issue. Try not to put the run where water likes to pool, you'll end up with a mucky cesspool. I scrape my outdoor roosts daily, but use the deep litter method for bedding and give it a good turn if things get unsightly. Adding leaves, woodchips, any lawn clippings, that sort of thing, allows the hens to stir things up a bit and do a fair bit of the tidying on their own. Smell usually happens if you're over crowded or have bad drainage issues. Some people have had luck with sand, and I imagine that would work well in a dryer environment with some diligent raking of waste, but I've also heard horror stories of the sand trapping odor in situations where it's often wet. I don't have any personal knowledge or experience with anything other than a deep litter method.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I pick up obvious poops in my run daily.

I do let mine out for a little bit daily, with supervision, otherwise they stay in the run. We don't have any requirement for keeping chickens confined here though, that's my own choice for predator protection and garden protection.

Recommended minimum run space is 10 sq ft per hen. If you can double or even triple that, it'd be awesome, especially if you can't let them out due to ordinances or bylaws. The more space they have, the fewer issues you'll have with boredom and problematic behavior.

 

[aart]

but this time I have contacted the city and HOA and know all the rules and regulations I need to follow.

...and what are they?
Number of birds?
Size of coop and run?
Set back from property lines and building/houses?
What can you fit in your yard?

Do you clean the run daily?
Do you let the hens roam free daily?
How big does the run need to be for 3 hens if I don’t want to let them out daily?

I never clean my run, but it's huge and filled with large wood chippings which take care of the odors by breaking down the poops.

No ranging here.

But my run is ~20sqft per bird......and I live in the boonies.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

Assuming that regulations permit, making the coop and run bigger than they need to be helps keep any possible odor or insects to a minimum.

Here is my article on Using Deep Bedding in a Small Coop. I'm a great fan of Deep Bedding and Deep Litter for keeping odor down without need of intensive, daily maintenance.

If you let us know what kind of regulations you have to work with, we'll be happy to help you figure out what sort of coop and run will work best for your situation.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

 

[Ridgerunner]

Do you clean the run daily?

No, I never clean mine but mine have over 3,000 square feet outside, most of that is grass. I do have to mow that occasionally. If I had 10 square feet per chicken my answer would be different. You are in suburbia, you can't have that much room.

How hard are you willing to work? The smaller it is the harder you'll have to work, most managing poop. How is the drainage? Will water drain away from it or will water drain to it and stand? The wetter it is the harder you will have to work to keep it from stinking. To me your nose will tell you how often you need to clean it. If it doesn't stink you are doing OK.

Do you let the hens roam free daily?

No, predators won't let me.

How big does the run need to be for 3 hens if I don’t want to let them out daily?

I don't like to look at the run in isolation. I consider the run and coop together as my space system. I don't know what you plan for a coop or what kind of weather you will have. Your weather can have a lot to say about how big your coop should be and how you manage that coop/run combination.

For three hens the same age in suburbia the minimum I'd consider is 4' x 8' and tall enough for me to comfortably stand in there and work. Many building materials come in standard 4' or 8' dimensions, if you can plan your build around that you can often save cutting and wastage. If it stays dry you probably won't have to work that hard. I do believe more room is better but that should work. You are in suburbia.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

Assuming that regulations permit, making the coop and run bigger than they need to be helps keep any possible odor or insects to a minimum.

Here is my article on Using Deep Bedding in a Small Coop. I'm a great fan of Deep Bedding and Deep Litter for keeping odor down without need of intensive, daily maintenance.

If you let us know what kind of regulations you have to work with, we'll be happy to help you figure out what sort of coop and run will work best for your situation.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

Sorry, had to edit after I realized that the link didn't attach correctly.

 

[neo71665]

Never clean my run. I don't free range but my run is oversized and I have been known to put them in a tractor on pretty days. 3 chickens need 30 sq feet of run and about 12 sq feet of coop.

When I built mine I set it up for 24 birds knowing I only plan on keeping 12. As those 12 get older and ready for the stew pot I want enough room to raise the replacements.

 

[CynAlexa]

...and what are they?
Number of birds?
Size of coop and run?
Set back from property lines and building/houses?
What can you fit in your yard?


I never clean my run, but it's huge and filled with large wood chippings which take care of the odors by breaking down the poops.

No ranging here.

But my run is ~20sqft per bird......and I live in the boonies.

Max 4 hens, must be confined. No rules on size of coop