Is this chicken area big enough?

[cluckmecoop7]

The run looks perfectly ok to me.
Nobody has a spare acre of land for 2 chickens

 

[aart]

What do you think?

Coop's too small for 7 let alone adding more, bantams or not.
Measurements would help tho most likely confirm that.

Might depend on your climate.
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Shadrach]

The vast majority of "back yard" chicken keepers in the US don't have an acre of ground TOTAL and that includes the part their house and any other outbuildings are built on. So, they have to make do with the space they do have. They aren't trying to support them with free ranging space. they are trying to keep them from being overcrowded so they don't bully or kill each other.

Yes, I'm aware of this.

 

[Shadrach]

The run looks perfectly ok to me.
Nobody has a spare acre of land for 2 chickens

I did and so do many others.

 

[Mamatomany123]

I did and so do many others.

I have 40 hens in a 2000 sq ft run. They have stripped it down to nothing. They have more than enough room but eat everything green in site.

 

[Shadrach]

I have 40 hens in a 2000 sq ft run. They have stripped it down to nothing. They have more than enough room but eat everything green in site.

Well, this is what I'm trying to point out in my inept manner. It doesn't take many chickens to turn a back yard into a desert. There's some information in there somewhere given chickens are not desert creatures.

 

[m0ther_g00se]

i have 7 chickens, 1 is a cockerel, 4 are fully grown hens, and 2 are still very small.
Ive attached some photos below. In the space I have for chickens I don’t have room for anything bigger than a prefab coop really,but they seem happy with it

Is this big enough for them? I don’t have measurements or anything just photos.

If so, I was planning on getting some bantams to add to the flock. (I will be getting rid of my rooster soon as he’s being aggressive so that would free some room)

What do you think?

the other folks in this thread are much smarter than me, so their advice should come before mine, but here's my thoughts anyways:

i think the coop seems small for seven birds the size of the ones you've shown, and there isn't a lot in the run, so i can see them getting bored super easily unless there's a bunch of bugs under there that they're scratching for. seeding something out in their run might be a good idea for enrichment if you can't offer any more space. they'd probably eat it down pretty quick, but it's better than nothing.

and judging by the images, there definitely isn't any space for additional chickens in there. i wouldn't recommend adding any, including bantams, even if you get rid of your roo.

 

[aart]

Well, this is what I'm trying to point out in my inept manner. It doesn't take many chickens to turn a back yard into a desert. There's some information in there somewhere given chickens are not desert creatures.

How does your chicken yard look like now that you have them confined instead of free ranging?

 

[Shadrach]

How does your chicken yard look like now that you have them confined instead of free ranging?

I'll show you.
You can see in the forground that the ground is pretty much stripped low until the post by the bucket in the distance. (last picture)There were 26 chickens, now there are eighteen so the pressure is less.
This is the far end of the run. They are slowly working their way into the brambles.

This is the long term plan going into action. The chickens are out on the veg plots doing some of what chickens used to be kept for.
IN the next couple of weeks I'll move the fence of the allotment run over by a metre so when they can't be let out onto the full allotment they'll have some fresh greenery to eat and of course the bugs that are there.

Here's a better shot of how bare of greenery the strip they are currently on is.

As the numbers decline (they're Ex Battery hens bear in mind so they don't live long) I will close of one strip as I open another.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention, the entire allotment is a bit over an acre.

 

[Mamatomany123]

I'll show you.
You can see in the forground that the ground is pretty much stripped low until the post by the bucket in the distance. (last picture)There were 26 chickens, now there are eighteen so the pressure is less.
This is the far end of the run. They are slowly working their way into the brambles.
View attachment 3051192
This is the long term plan going into action. The chickens are out on the veg plots doing some of what chickens used to be kept for.
IN the next couple of weeks I'll move the fence of the allotment run over by a metre so when they can't be let out onto the full allotment they'll have some fresh greenery to eat and of course the bugs that are there.
View attachment 3051194
Here's a better shot of how bare of greenery the strip they are currently on is.
View attachment 3051201
As the numbers decline (they're Ex Battery hens bear in mind so they don't live long) I will close of one strip as I open another.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention, the entire allotment is a bit over an acre.
View attachment 3051170

I will say,I live in west texas where we get all heat and no rain. I'm on half an acre and even though my hens haven't free ranged in almost a year I still have no grass back there. It's too much to water. No matter howuch land I have, if I stay in west texas I won't have much green for them anyways. But we do have plenty of snakes and lizards they love to eat.