need help! how much pen room do 6 silkie chickens need? plz answer!

[8silkies]

that would be too much...okay i drew it out (lol) and if i did a pen that was 18 sq ft (6 ft by 3 ft) would that be enough for 3 silkies?

 

[willowcol]

yep, plenty of room. But remember no one can stop at just 3 silkies. hehehe.

 

[8silkies]

i know! these are my first chickens and i am soo addicted. i just want to go and get 3 of every chicken breed! lol.

i think i got it now. thanks sooo much. that tile thing REALLY helped!

 

[Ky Chicken Fan]

Quote:
Square feet always confuses me, too. Here is a suggestion I used when I built new pens and a new coop last weekend. I had an idea of how big I wanted it. I got some wooden stakes, like you would use to hold up plants or something, and some twine and a tape measure. Went out where I was putting the pens, staked the area x many feet by x many feet and ran the twine to simulate the walls, and saw that I did't feel like what I was planning was enough room for the birds. I know they have these rules of so many square feet per bird, and I use that as a guide, but then I look at the area and ask if I feel it is sufficient for my birds to be happy and healthy. Hope this idea helps.

 

[8silkies]

Ky Chicken fan,

thanks for the idea. i am going to try it with chalk.lol.

 

[Ky Chicken Fan]

Quote:
Mine is on grass, chalk wouldn't have worked for me LOL. That is the only way I can visualize what I am gonna get though. Good luck! (and good luck only getting 6 silkies...... ::::muhahahaha::::

)

 

[8silkies]

okay i am also getting 3 buff orpingtons and 3 rhode island reds. i was thinking i would do 9sq ft per bird (i am doing 6 for the silkies).

so would a 4.5 ft by 6 ft pen be big enough for 3 buff orpingtons? and the same size for 3 rhode island reds?

plz let me know! thnx! i am going to lowes this weekend for pen supplies (wood, chicken wire) so i am trying to get the deminsions down.

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Here is some general info:

IF your birds will be in the coop for almost 24/7 then you NEED 10 sq feet per bird for a Standard (Large Fowl) bird. And generally 8 sq. feet for a bantam. Which means for your silkies, you could have a 4x6, 2x12, or 3x8 coop. This is only if they will be inside.

Now, if you have a run for them, then you will need 4 sq. feet for a large bird, and about 3 sq. feet for your birds INSIDE the coop. If you do have a run, the run is 10 sq. ft. per bird for a large bird, but about 6 sq. ft for a bantam.

If you want three silkies per coop I am assuming you have a run? So then you would need a 3x3 coop to have 9 sq. ft. And you would have either a 2x9 run or a 3x6 run.

Does this help?

Also, a little math:

Area = Length x Width
(measured in Square feet.)

 

[8silkies]

Quote:
Mine is on grass, chalk wouldn't have worked for me LOL. That is the only way I can visualize what I am gonna get though. Good luck! (and good luck only getting 6 silkies...... ::::muhahahaha::::

)

i know! i will definately be getting more. lol. thnx again!

 

[8silkies]

Quote:
i have the coop already. this is just the run. for the 3 silkies i was planning to do a 6 foot by 3 foot pen. which would be 18 sqft, 6 sqft per bird. i am also going to let them free range at least 2 hours a day, when i am home. does this sound good? thanks for your answer!