Is my Backyard Big Enough? And How to Stop Flying? Want buy my first Chickens

[Jr005]

Also my wife is concerned that keeping them kept in the house (She calls it cage) will considered Cruel...
Do you think it will be a good life for the chickens if they are kept in a 15' x 25' chickens house?
And when I sell some eggs I can not call it "free range eggs" correct just "organic eggs"?

I want make sure they are happy hens and produce healthy organic eggs..

 

[torilovessmiles]

Also my wife is concerned that keeping them kept in the house (She calls it cage) will considered Cruel...
Do you think it will be a good life for the chickens if they are kept in a 15' x 25' chickens house?

I want make sure they are happy hens and produce healthy organic eggs..

With 4 chickens, a 4ftx4ft (or 16sqft minimum) coop would be good, and then using all of that extra space as run space so they can go outside. You could make your coop a little bigger, and you could have even more chickens, that space could support a good handful of chickens!
Here is a picture of a nice sized coop/run for reference

 

[Jr005]

I love the photo! So with 15 x 25' space what would you recommend for the size of the house and
run size? I would like to have 3-5 chickens if that will be enough for eggs to have and sell..

 

[tjo804]

The minimum recomendation for full size birds is Coop floor space 4 sq ft per bird for the run area you need more space that min is 10sq ft per bird. These measurements seem to keep quarrels to a minimum. The more space the less fighting.

the other options to consider do you want a walk in coop or do you want to bend over to collect eggs and clean out coop? same with run. In your area do you need protection from the sun or snow? Do you want to shovel out a run that isnt covered?

look into the Cochin Breed they are heavy ladies when full grown and really cant fly.
http://www.hobbyfarms.com/farm-breeds/poultry-profiles/cochin-chicken-2.aspx

Just a tip build bigger than you need. You will need more space, Trust me.

Good luck and happy chickening

 

[tjo804]

3-5 Chickens will likely give you 3-5 eggs a day so about 30 eggs a week if you wont eat that much you will have some to sell.

All Chickens lay 1 egg a day unless they are to young or to old.

Hope this helps

 

[tjo804]

I must edit myself
when winter light is low less eggs
if they go broody less eggs

 

[torilovessmiles]

I love the photo! So with 15 x 25' space what would you recommend for the size of the house and
run size? I would like to have 3-5 chickens if that will be enough for eggs to have and sell..

I think you could fit at least 6-8 in that size comfortably. 15'x25' is 375sqft. At 15sqft/ bird that could fit 25 if you wanted, but it will be similar to free-ranging if you have 6-8 in that space. Keep in mind, any bird that lays the eggs you get at the store probably only has 1-2sqft of space/bird, "cage free" or not. If you have 8 birds in a run that size, each bird gets about 45sqft of space. With 5 birds, that's 75sqft of space per bird! That's a LOT better than any hens of a storebought egg! You'll have VERY happy chickens in that space!

Whether or not you'll have enough eggs to sell depends on your breed. If you get 5-8 Red Sexlinks, Rhode Island Reds, or Black sexlinks, you'll get several dozen eggs a week. Three is pushing it, four maybe enough to cover some feed costs.
If you choose buff orpingtons or plymouth rocks, I'd say you need at least 10 birds to produce enough eggs to sell.
I don't think you'll make a big profit with less than 15 birds, but you should make enough to pay for the feed and a little extra.
Of course, that depends on the market for organic eggs in your area. Old people around here won't pay more than $3.50-$4 for a dozen, but in, say, California, you may be able to get $6/doz for them.

I would plan to make your coop a little bigger in case of chicken math (we all do it, that's why I accounted for more ) minimun for 3-5 chickens would be 12sqft-20sqft, or a 3x4 to 4x5, or similar dimensions. Like I said, I'd go up a bit for any additions! Maybe 30 sqft
There are some awesome coop examples in the coop design/construction forum, It'll be really helpful in finding the type of coop that is best for what you want!
Best of luck!!! I hope my math is right, I've double checked a bunch of times

 

[Jr005]

Awesome! Thank you for your advice I really appreciate it.. When I first started I didnt know where to begin!
Now im starting to feel way more confident about buying my first chicks.. Im super excited.. thank you..

 

[tjo804]

Keep us posted on coop pics and especially Chick or chicken pics

 

[Jr005]

Sure will do.. I plan on documenting everything from start to finish..