How many chickens in your run? or Square Feet/Bird = Desert?

[PacsMan]

I've got 16 birds currently, and 1000 sq feet of run space. I'm doubling the amount of birds I have, and can double (maybe even triple) the amount of run space for all of the birds.

If I have (approx) 35 birds and (approx) 3000 square feet of run space, is it ~STILL~ going to look like a desert at the end of the summer? What is ratio of ground-to-bird that I need to have some sustainable growth in the run?

We live in dry Utah, but I'm not opposed to using our sprinkler system. What can I grow in their run to get them any sustainable green in their diets?

Marty

 

[gryeyes]

I don't think you can grow ANYTHING in their run that they won't destroy. I know my run looks like the surface of the moon..... and it's a pretty large run!

 

[Ms.FuzzyButts]

I agree. There was a good bit of poison oak where I put my run..sheesh, even it never stood a chance.

 

[gsim]

Quote:
I get more rain than you do in Tennessee. I have around 2,000 sq ft for 23 chooks and nothing was growing in my run by November. I am planting a mulberry tree and 4 cherry tomato plants in the run this year. I am also growing sunflowers for them all over the property. Mine do not free range because I cannot be watching them enough.

What I am trying is this: I set 600 sq ft 1/2" squares plastic mesh sheets down over grass that I sowed last Fall. I do not yet know how well this will do for providing some living greens. For one thing, the poop spreads out and packs on top and I fear it will kill the grass due to cutting off light. I will know more when it begins to grow in March. I routinely toss two or three bushels of grass clippings in there after mowing, and my chooks devour them. I like to give them fresh living greens because of the enzymes present. They also get tons of garden waste 7 months a year. Mine always had live greens from day 1. They never were on a diet of only chick feeder. I just do not think it is as good as mixing in lots of greens, etc. My chooks always pounced on all of those extras and gobbled them up even when they were only 4 days old!

 

[PacsMan]

So, I'm going to keep track here and see if I can get an estimate of how much land, or how few birds I need for sustainable growth...

16 birds 1000 sq feet - (62 square feet/bird) - moonscape
23 birds 2000 sq feet - (87 square feet/bird) - moonscape

I read somewhere that 50 chickens an acre is fine... Hmm...
50 birds 43,560 sq feet (871 square feet/bird) - Sustainable

There's got to be an in-between number.
Anyone else with large runs?

 

[PacsMan]

If you have enough space for a large run, do you just let them free range?

 

[Uzuri]

Your best bet if you want to keep them contained is to practice pasture rotation. Build the outer portion of your run as strong as you need to to keep out predators, then subdivide the inside with a chicken-proof material (chicken wire, whatever). Allow the chickens to be in only one part of the run at a time. When they get one area down to the dirt, close it up and open another.

Unless you build the coop in such a way as to have a pop door into each sub-run, you're still going to get a muddy "sacrifice area" right in front of the coop, but you'll be able to keep them mostly on grass this way. And trust me, all the chicken manure in the newly closed off area will make the new grass there grow like CRAZY.

Also, if you need to walk into the run to feed or whatever, put in some stepping stones and stick to walking on them. In my two-piece "tractor-trailer" I do considerably more damage to the grass in wet seasons than the chickens do. When I move to a stationary run this spring, there will be stones from the people door to the coop, and more stones where I need to stand to do chores, as well as stones right outside the people door and probably another set of stones outside the egg collection door.

 

[saddina]

Quote:
This ^

Make 2 runs and rotate them.

 

[DawnSuiter]

I think you could do 100 birds on an acre...
I have 25 now on half an acre.. even through the wet season and all this horrible weather the grass is still managing to grow through and they do not have enough time to get to EVERYTHING.. I also feed in feeders too, not sure if this works into your research

I will be putting another 50 out this summer on the OTHER wooded half acre we have, these are our meat birds - colored rangers and assorted dual purpose orpingtons and a few turkeys... I expect NO TROUBLE.. but only time will tell.

 

[PacsMan]

Quote:
Quote:
So, with 100 bird an acre, it would be something like this?

16 birds 1000 sq feet - (62 square feet/bird) - moonscape
23 birds 2000 sq feet - (87 square feet/bird) - moonscape
100 birds 43,560 sq feet - (435 square feet/bird) - May work
50 birds 43,560 sq feet (871 square feet/bird) - Sustainable

Can anyone else chime in? How many bird/acre do you have?