- May 25, 2015
- 145
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I have 21 bantams, 2 pheasants, and 5 guineas being brooded together right now. If I need 3 square feet per bird, I am looking at 84 square feet. I never heard of the 3 square foot rule, I just knew about roosting space. I always raised my birds with just a small coop, maybe 10 square feet for 10 birds, and they did fine.
Now, I plan to build a coop with 80 square feet, that is more long than square (20 by 4) so that I can easily open portions of the back to get eggs and clear poop, and whatever else. It will only be about 4 foot in height, but raised up on cinder blocks. The run is going to be 21 by 21 (15+ sf per bird or 50 sf per pheasant, 20 sf per guinea, and 11.5 sf per bantam). I feel that will be adequate.
It will also be 6 feet high (I wish I could go taller but the material I already have to work with makes 6 feet the max. I am 6'2" so of course I would rather it be 7+, but hey, you work with what you have in this economy.
Does anyone have experience with keeping this many birds and these varieties in a pen/coop such as this? I cannot let them free range too much if at all, as my neighbor next door is a sadistic psycho path who murdered my cats for going into his yard.
Now, I plan to build a coop with 80 square feet, that is more long than square (20 by 4) so that I can easily open portions of the back to get eggs and clear poop, and whatever else. It will only be about 4 foot in height, but raised up on cinder blocks. The run is going to be 21 by 21 (15+ sf per bird or 50 sf per pheasant, 20 sf per guinea, and 11.5 sf per bantam). I feel that will be adequate.
It will also be 6 feet high (I wish I could go taller but the material I already have to work with makes 6 feet the max. I am 6'2" so of course I would rather it be 7+, but hey, you work with what you have in this economy.
Does anyone have experience with keeping this many birds and these varieties in a pen/coop such as this? I cannot let them free range too much if at all, as my neighbor next door is a sadistic psycho path who murdered my cats for going into his yard.
