Hmmm??? 6 layers and 6 bantams

[k2chickens]

I have a 50 sq ft run that my babies will be spending a decent ammount of time in. Am i pushing it on space??????? My coop will be large enough....im just worried about my run. Im kinda upset about it....i put alot of time and money into it...lumber, nails, stain, clear gloss outside seal. Now i step back and look at it thinking..."wow will my girls be mad at me for not makeing a bigger run"?

 

[k2chickens]

?

 

[amyc]

I'm just a newbie (my coop only has one wall and the chicks are living in the garage), but I would think 50 sq ft would be pretty small if they're not going to be free ranging. I think the rule is 10 sq ft of run space for chicken.

Maybe they could free range for a larger portion of the day, or maybe you could add on to it?

 

[pixie74943]

I know mines too small and I feel bad. I let them out as often as possible, and have chicken toys (basically hanging food).

Good news is, chickens get used to the sound of building pretty quickly. I'm always building extras, and the hens are at my feet asking why I'm not feeding them instead.


I reckon you should get the hens, settle them in, and build extras if you have too, or just let them out free-ranging when you're there to watch.

EDIT: just found something (on yahoo answers) that says 48square feet would be minimum for 12 chickens, and since you have bantams, they could probably handle a little less space than the big girls

 

[annek]

The main problem you are going to have with such a small area is trying to keep it clean. With that many chickens in a small confined space, they will have poop everywhere in a very short amount of time. You will not be able to keep the smell or the flies down unless you are always on top of it. I have 11 - 11 week old chicks and they have an enclosed run attached to the coop. My coop is 7x7 and the attached enclosed run is approx. 8x8 which is too small. I am going to build an outside run but it will only be for day use because it is not predator proof like the coop/enclosed run is, it will be approx 8x16. What I did is build a portable hoop run that is approx. 6x8, it was very simple and cheap to build, and I put them in it at least a few days a week. I move this around the yard to give them different areas to peck and graze and lets them out in the grass safely. I only let them in there when I am home, it is too hot here to risk baking them in the sun.

 

[k2chickens]

Quote:
hmmm that makes me feel a little better. I had planned on adding on in the fall when the temp drops, so i hope a few months would not be all that bad for my girls.

 

[MIKE555444]

The size of your run will effect the quality of your run.... I think you will be fine tho...

I have about 15 chickens and I built a large 700 s/f run to try and create a simlar feel to being free range

 

[k2chickens]

Quote:
wow im soooo jealous. Look how happy they are!! This is the first thing i have built in my life. Like seriously, the next best thing to this is my lego set when i was about 10 yrs old