I'm considering getting 3 chickens and just getting started in my research. Question about the qual

[craigwg]

I live in the suburbs of SLC, Utah. I have a nice yard, with a small goldfish pond, a 10'x20' garden, and a number of flower gardens, and a 4'x4' compost pile. From other research I understand I'll need to fence off my vegie garden, so my questions are not about that at this time. I'm more concerned about the quality of my grass.

The yard is 1000 square feet, so not big by any stretch but its not TOO tiny. My wife has told me I am NOT allowed to take up any more grass space than I all ready do with the vegie garden, flower gardens and pond. I am planning on building a coupe that sits on top of the 4'x4' compost pile. The idea is that when cleaning it will be easy to move old stuff directly to the compost pile below. The other part of my thought is to just let the chickens roam through the backyard. I've read conflicting things. I've read they will be good for the grass and I've read they will destroy it. If they will destroy it I'll just stop my research. I don't want chickens that bad. Others suggest I build a chicken run. I could do that in one of the flower beds but that seems like SUCH a waste of ground. I'd rather get them sleeping above the compost (which is clean and I only put plant matter in it. Its not stinky. Its a nice healthy compost pile comprised of mostly leaves) and let them wander through the yard cleaning it of bugs and weeds and fertilizing it.

I'm fine with fencing off the veggies during the growing season. But if I'm going to lose my lawn I'm not ok with that. If so, then I'll probably sacrifice a flower garden and build a chicken run but I don't want to do that if I can avoid it.

So will they destroy my grass if I let them free range roam around the yard?

 

[lightchick]

No, I don't think they would destroy your lawn as long as you give them a dusting area.

 

[donrae]

3 chickens on that much grass probably won't really damage the lawn, but what about those flower beds? They'll need to be fenced off, too, or the birds will dig them right up. A chicken gets it's feed by scratching on the ground, that's how it digs up bugs. Even if they have commercial feed, that instinct to scratch is so strong, they'll tear up bare dirt or mulch in a heartbeat. They also clean themselves by dustbathing, which results in shallow (or not-so-shallow, over the years) depressions in the dirt that are great ankle-twisters.

Even if you do let your birds out to range on the lawn from time to time, I'd still have a dedicated dirt area for them to tear up. Chances are good you'll need to confine them at some point anyway, and having the run in place is a smart thing.

Something else to keep in mind, when they're ranging on the lawn....chickens aren't potty trained. Your lawn is going to have poop bombs all over it.

 

[craigwg]

Another question. I can put the chicken coup on the north side or south side of the house. The south is going to get sun all day so it will be hot in the summer. The north side is going to be in the shade which will make for some cold winters with less sunlight. Which is better for the health and well being of the chickens? I'm leaning towards the south side because that's closer to the patio so it will be easier to collect the eggs from. Also the south side of the house has no neighbors and I don't want to force them to deal with any sights/smells/sounds associated with the chickens.

So really the question is, should I raise Yankee chickens or Confederate chickens?

 

[lightchick]

South side is best for winter and you can just put ice cubes in the chickens water in the summer.
Also, you should get heat and cold hardy chicken breeds such as....
Australorp
Buff Orpington
Rhode Island reds and etc.
Here is a thing I found about this subject.
Pea combs and smaller wattles are less likely to get frostbitten. I try to avoid the big straight combs of breeds like leghorns. The flop over a lot of the hens get on the big combs do seem to protect it a bit. Roosters will usually have the points frozen off.

I keep an assortment of standard chickens and a few mongrel bantams. I really haven't seen a big difference in cold tolerance except for the frost bite issues.

I don't keep silkies or top hats. The top hats seem to get eaten by something even if I keep the crest trimmed so it can see. Silkies just seem totally impractical in a place where snow can be on the ground from November to May 1. Spring and fall can be totally soaking wet and cold. I don't have a heated barn or lots of secure pens so in fairness to the feather mutants I don't keep them.

None of the dual purpose layer types stopped laying during the dead of winter. Neither did most of the little mongrel bantams. They all came out at one time or another except on the insanely cold days. Fresh deep snow stopped them but once the horses had packed down paths they were out there investigating.

The turkeys, ducks and geese seem impervious to cold. They chose to sleep in a tarped pen rather than a building. Only the peacocks seem to completely dislike it. They would occasionally race out into the big run in barn I have for the horses, run around like nuts for a minute or two. Stretch their wings and dive back into their coop.

Cold spring rain seems to bother the most. It's the changing seasons that are a bigger problem than winter. I can swing over 60 degrees in temperature in spring and fall. Hard for anybody to take variations like that.

 

[milola]

I would have the coup on the shady side. Chickens fair better with cold than they do heat. And I would definitely build a run and just let them out a few hours a day to range the yard. I built 8 inch wide planters in the run and covered them with 1/4" hardware cloth. I planted forage seed and they spend a good part of their day nipping off the tips. I only let mine free range a couple hours a day because of the predator situation. Anyway the planters run the entire length of the run on both sides and across the end. In between there is not the first sign of any thing green but it makes for great dust bathing and bug picking for them. I had those six chickens totally decimate 160 square feet of vegetation within probably six weeks. But if it is only three chickens and 1000 sq. ft. there would probably be pretty good rotation going on.

 

[lightchick]

I would have the coup on the shady side. Chickens fair better with cold than they do heat. And I would definitely build a run and just let them out a few hours a day to range the yard. I built 8 inch wide planters in the run and covered them with 1/4" hardware cloth. I planted forage seed and they spend a good part of their day nipping off the tips. I only let mine free range a couple hours a day because of the predator situation. Anyway the planters run the entire length of the run on both sides and across the end. In between there is not the first sign of any thing green but it makes for great dust bathing and bug picking for them. I had those six chickens totally decimate 160 square feet of vegetation within probably six weeks. But if it is only three chickens and 1000 sq. ft. there would probably be pretty good rotation going on.

Yes, but don't chickens need a lot of sun?

 

[milola]

Yes, but don't chickens need a lot of sun?

Well, maybe build it so a portion of the run has sun exposure. Maybe come out past the end of your house. They will be able to come and go as they please then. Plus if you let them free range your yard a couple hours a day they would get plenty of sun.

 

[lazy gardener]

If i was in your situation, i'd build a small coop that could be moved. (A chicken tractor.) For 3 birds, i'd recommend that the upper level be at least 4 x 4 or an equivalent area. It could be put on the north in the summer, and moved to the south in the winter. The ideal coop would have 1/2" hardware cloth over all openings, and a skirt around the bottom to make it as predator proof as possible. If you made it with the sleeping perching area over a lower level run, that would allow them to go out of the coop in the morning without waiting for you to let them out. Then, you could allow them to free range when you are around to supervise. What are your high/low temps for winter/summer? I like Milola's suggestion of parking the coop in the shade with some of the run in the sun, but with your yard limitations, that may not be possible. One thing to keep in mind when building a tractor or a small coop is that you won't be able to get IN it to clean it. So, build a nice big access door in one side, perhaps even as wide as the whole building so you can park a wheel barrow under the door (Be sure to build it high enough to accommodate your wheel barrow, or alternately, you can scoop the litter into a tarp and drag it where you want it.) An other thing to keep in mind with any housing situation is to build all access doors with the bottom of the door at least 6" from the floor, or put a 6" board across the bottom of the door opening to keep the girls from scooping the litter out the door. I'm also fond of nest boxes with outside access. I have asthma, so have built my current coop so i never have to go into the upper level unless i'm doing a construction modification. My girls only use the loft for sleeping/laying, preferring to be in the lower level.

Your coop over compost pile is a good idea. Perhaps your wife would be willing to compromise with you if you did put the coop over the compost pile, or perhaps move the pile to the ideal coop location. If you come up with a design that is esthetically pleasing to both you and her, I'm sure you'll both be happy with the outcome. One thing to keep in mind is that deep litter would be a great way to accommodate a small run and a basic compost pile. Though in that situation, i'd only put household scraps in that i intended to allow the girls to eat. Stuff not fit for the chickens could go into a compost barrel, into a trench in the garden, in the toilet or the trash. An other option would be a worm bin.

 

[donrae]

Chickens don't need an exceptional amount of sun. They need daylight to trigger egg production, but shade is still daylight. Most animals should be able to get some sunlight a day, but I guarantee you millions of chickens are born and die without ever seeing the sun longer than it takes to be trucked from point A to point B.