How many & what breeds?

[mrbillwej]

Hi all,
I'm going to fence off a 20'x20'x20'x20' area in my yard. I have 2 birds, 1 RIR & 1 Bantam? ( see pics below) I had 4 but my dog got 2 of them...........

hence, the fence. I would like to know how many would be comfortable in that size area, & what breeds are best to mix & socialize? Thanks for any help.
Bill-

 

[sumi]

As a general guide you will need 4 sq ft of floor space per chicken in the coop and 10 sq ft in the run. With bantams you can go a bit lower than that. Breeds wise, you can keep a lot of different breeds together. What breeds are you thinking off?

 

[mrbillwej]

Hi, thank you for the response.
I'm not sure about the breeds, I'm new to keeping chickens. I would like to have a few that will produce some eggs. I enjoy watching them run & scratch & steal insects from each other, so any colorful breeds that socialize well.

 

[sumi]

I'm sure other members will come along soon with breed suggestions, so have a look so long at the Breeds tab here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/category/chicken-breeds

to give you an idea of what's available and to give some more info on each. I've had Leghorns (White, Silver and Brown) and I was very happy with them. They are pretty, friendly and laid well. Australorps are also good layers and very hardy, RIR you've got already... There's lots to choose from! Enjoy