Is this big enough for my obsession

[ChickenLane]

So I decided we were going to have some chickens. I have went from planning on building a small coop and run to getting an 6x10 shed for free and thinking of a 20x40 run now with that in mind will this be plenty for my 6 chicks and 1 rooster. What is ur honest opinion of max capacity with out getting to crowded? And also is it your opinion that I should completly enclose this run or can I just bury the fence and put an electric fence around the base about 6inches off the ground? Thanks in advance for your advice

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

Welcome to BYC
You should have enough room for at least 20 standard size birds. We keep 6 birds in 5 X 12 runs and they have plenty of room.

 

[ChickenLane]

Okay so my first estimate of the run was a little large we have decided to relocate it so it doesn't consume most of the play are for our daughter the run will be around 20x25 now with that in mind in an 6x10 coop what is a comfortable capacity for our coop and run. P.S. Can some one please explain how I have become so OBSESSED with these little birdies?

 

[patandchickens]

It really depends where you live, and what you are aiming for.

Personally, living somewhere that gets nasty winters and aiming for happy chickens, I would not put any more than 6 chickens in there *maximum* and that would still be higher stocking density than I actually have in my existing coop. OTOH if you live somewhere the chickens will NEVER want to spend days indoors b/c of weather, you could stock on the basis of run space which would be reasonable for 10-15 chickens or even a few more if you just care about them not disassembling each other rather than how they behave.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Schroeder]

Quote:
That would be 10 sq ft per bird. Isn't the standard 4 sq ft? With a coop at 60 sq ft I would think 10 to 12 would have plenty of room.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
That would be 10 sq ft per bird. Isn't the standard 4 sq ft? With a coop at 60 sq ft I would think 10 to 12 would have plenty of room.

There is no "the standard". It just depends on your circumstances and aims. Even the people who advocate 2-4 sq ft per chicken do point out that is about the MINIMUM you can get away with, not an optimal situation.

I have kept chickens at 4 sq ft apiece (plus run), and at up to 15 sq ft apiece (plus run), and I gotta tell you they really do behave a lot differently with the greater amount of space. They seem more relaxed, display more individualistic behavior, and to me just seem like much happier campers. So it DOES make a difference, especially in a Northern type climate where there will be significant periods of time when they are not likely to want to be outdoors much.

As I say, it depends on your personal tastes and your climate/setup.

I do think it would be nice if more people considered giving their animals more than "the absolute bare minumum that you can reasonably expect to get away with in order to avoid excessive cannibalism", though.

JME,

Pat

 

[Minniechickmama]

Quote:
How? I am kind of asking myself that. There is so much variety and they are so neat to watch. What is it about these feathered critters that makes us go out and build chicken coops nicer than our homes and want to watch them more than TV or anything else? I don't know, but I like it.

Also,

and you might as well sign up for therapy now. If you are building the coop and getting the chickens, that is one thing, but once you enter the BYC zone, you are in serious addiction territory.

 

[Schroeder]

Pat:
Interesting observation on behavior differences with space allotment. Thanks for the insight.

 

[mdbokc]

Gotta go with Pat on the larger space..."They seem more relaxed, display more individualistic behavior, and to me just seem like much happier campers."

 

[ChickenLane]

Okay well here is our current situation. We have 2 chicks at 9 weeks of age a Buff Rock hen and a Rhode Island Red hen. In a month we will be getting 1 white Leg Horn rooster and 3 red star hens. That brings our grand total of birds to 6. But for a little while when the coop and run is complete they will be by them selfs. So with that in mind they should be healthy happy birds. At least until the weather turns cold again"yuck" what has turned into an idea has now turned in to an "OCD" obsession