How Many Birds Can 2 Acres House/Feed?

[JekkaLynn]

We live on 2 acres. About 1/2 an acre is lawn and the rest is grass, clover, wild carrots, and weeds. We cut it every few weeks so there is always new tender growth for them. My chickens get grower pellets and chicken scratch and BOSS mixed and fermented. They also have a feeder of dry grower pellets free choice. They have free choice grit and oyster shell also. How many birds will be able to free range on my two acres without being crowded? Is there anything else they should be being fed? They are layer birds. Some are a bit over a year old the rest are about 5 months.

 

[chickkrzi]

I think you need to ask yourself how many eggs can I eat or sell? You can have more chicken than you can keep up with on 2 acres. Might need a few goats to help keep the vegetation in check.

 

[JekkaLynn]

Eventually we are hoping to get a Dexter Cow for milk. I am hoping to separate my birds into breeding pens and hatch eggs in the winter to have ready to lay pullets to sell in spring and to hatch eggs in the spring and sell as chicks. Then in summer and fall I want to let the birds out of the pens to free range during the days and just sell the eggs for eating.

 

[Chick Charm]

A lot can be kept with all the feed you are supplying. I think your eventual concern may be the smell of your chickens. Likely a dozen to 16 or so can be Oder free. After that the poo smell may build up in their frequented hang-outs. I'm just guessing on that number.

I live on 1.3 acres with 15 birds currently. Smell is non existent most of the time. If that helps.

Wish ya the best.

 

[JekkaLynn]

Right now I think I have almost 35 birds but I am keeping some for other people.

 

[Chick Charm]

Do you free range? How is the smell? Any issues?

 

[JekkaLynn]

The only time I notice a smell is in the chicken run and even in there the smell isn't bad. The chickens are only shut up over night right now and free range the rest of the time but eventually I want to set up breeding pens and sell chicks, chickens and hatching eggs.

 

[JekkaLynn]

The only issues is young roosters trying to mount hens that aren't laying get but my biggest rooster has looked them around until then started to behave better.

 

[bustedchicks]

Have almost 50 birds on 1.3 acres. Mostly chickens but some turkeys and ducks. The coop is a bit messy and probably stinks. Some people are bothered by nature smell but not man made smells and some vice versa.
In my county residential zoned property has a 10per 5000 sq ft with 1 chicken per 500 sq ft. So I calculated that 1acre can have 87 chickens. Luckily I'm zoned agriculture.

 

[JekkaLynn]

I had some people over on the weekend and I asked them if there was a smell and they said they didn't notice any.