I thought I had it all figured out...

[the75]

I designed a henhouse & pen that will fit perfectly in my garden. I'll be able to move the pen from one side to the other based on each harvest/season. While small, I took note of many of the other "small" prebuilt chicken coops out there & figured that I would be fine putting 2 chickens in a 3ft cube pen connected to a henhouse... Unfortunately, the more I come across articles, it appears as if many of the "small" prebuilt coops are way too small & I should never have based my measurements off of them. While I haven't bought any chicks yet, I've been leaning towards a Rhode Island Red & am still open to the second type... I REALLY DO NOT want to go back to the drawing board here, because I fear that I may decide to scrap the whole project & keep buying eggs & chicken manure... I was so looking forward to feeding my spent homebrew grains to our birds, but it doesn't look like I'll have enough room. The henhouse will be 36" long X 24" wide X 30" tall. The last thing I want is unhappy chickens, but if I have to pull the plug on the notion, I'll have an unhappy wife & kid. Am I doing the right thing by being concerned about such a small pen or should I give it a go & see how they react?

 

[foreverlearning]

Give it a go and see how they react. I have 21 in a 4'x4' by 3' tall coop and they love it. They free range and I built a walk in 8'x12' for them but they prefer their small coop from when I only had 6 girls. They lay in the big coop but just prefer to live in the small one. You never know what they will like and if you hit the road where you need to expand you can do it then.

 

[TheChickInn]

Hi! I think they will be fine, as long as they can scratch around in the garden, they shouldn't get bored and pick on each other instead. I have some show chickens that are confined to cages during the showing season so that they do not make a mess of their feathers while out free ranging. I do rotate them out of their cages every 2-3 days so they can all get some fresh air in a portable garden tractor. RIR's are a wonderful laying breed, with most laying an egg a day for the first 2 years of life.I would just get 2 of the same breed if possible. Most bantam breeds- while taking up less space per chicken, are usually not the most reliable egg layers. Keeping chickens is so much fun- your family will enjoy it. I think your set-up should work just fine.....and remember- if you think they seem crowded- you should check out a video on youtube to see how the chickens are kept when eggs are purchased from a grocery store..very sad.

 

[the75]

Thanks! I drive by a couple chicken ranches each day & never really thought about how penned up they are. Yes, very sad. I plan on letting them out to roam around our backyard for short periods, so that might help. I also like your suggestion about getting two of the same species. I appreciate the feedback. I'll keep plugging away & hopefully I'll have happy chickens, a happy wife, & a happy kid...whereas I, in turn, will be happy! Cue Pharrell Williams "Happy"...