Hello all you chicken lovers!

[NellyBird]

Nice to meet y'all. I live in the sunny south of France where I keep a mixed flock of nine hens and one (happy) rooster. Silkies, Buff Orpingtons, Suffolks and bantams.
Aside from looking after them, I am a private chef and a painter. I love the water, mountain biking, foraging, fishing and gardening.

I am about to buy some Brahmas for my father who lives further north, and am wondering what size coop I should get for three hens and one rooster...they look like they could do with a large entrance!

Perhaps I should get him a good book too, so he can find answers to all questions. What are your favourite yard bird books?

This looks like a great forum. I look forward to chatting! Thanks for reading me

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
You would certainly want to go with the 4 sq ft minimum per bird or larger with the Brahmas.

 

[NellyBird]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
You would certainly want to go with the 4 sq ft minimum per bird or larger with the Brahmas.

Hi DobieLover, thanks so much for your good advice, much appreciated. What kind of chickens do you have?

 

[Shadrach]

Hello NellyBird.
Welcome to BYC.
Are you and your father free ranging?
This book is a little dated but I've found it invaluable over the years.
Diseases Of Free Range Poultry by Victoria Roberts BVSc MRCVS

 

[NellyBird]

Hello NellyBird.
Welcome to BYC.
Are you and your father free ranging?
This book is a little dated but I've found it invaluable over the years.
Diseases Of Free Range Poultry by Victoria Roberts BVSc MRCVS

Yes, I free range - they have a nice enclosed big grassy yard, some trees to shade under. My Dads place has vast land and many predators, so I wonder about a mobile coop with a large enclosed area, and letting them range during the day with fingers crossed!
Thanks a lot for the book reference

 

[ClucksAndCombs]

Welcome to BYC, @NellyBird !

All of us are happy to have you here, we always have enough room on the BYC roost!

Feel free to ask questions, there are so many wonderful and knowledgeable people who will answer them!

Also feel from to explore the articles, especially the coop page. I'd say you'd want to check out the medium-sized coops or mobile coops!

Enjoy your time on this amazing site!

 

[N F C]

Hi @NellyBird it's nice to have you here with us!

Make yourself at home and enjoy all BYC has to offer

 

[Melky]

Glad you could join us, maybe get your father too as well! The 4 sq ft per bird in coop and 10 sq ft per bird if attaching covered run is a good rule of thumb larger if plan to expand. Just make sure opening to pop door is big enough for bird. I use at least a 12 x 12 inch pop door. Just make sure door is large enough for Brahma as they get a bit bigger. My largest hen will be 7 lbs and it works well.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC - thanks for joining us.

This link is a great resource when it comes to space requirements -
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-much-room-do-chickens-need

This is a useful link of BYC guides to take a look at announcements-feedback-issues-guides.3 I’d suggest including your location using the guide in that link, if you have not already done so.

Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[007Sean]

Howdy and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Thanks for joining our community!