Hello. This is my first post...although I have been reading/gathering info here for over a year. We've had chickens for about 2 years now and have learned a lot about what works and what doesn't...especially for us.
We bought a coop when we started...but of course wanted more chickens so i built a second coop...then we had a sick bird so I built a hospital "wing" off that coop...and in the late fall got some silkies that I didn't really want to introduce with the others until spring so they got their own apartment as well. Oh and I have 4 ducks that have their own house in the mix of it all...and 3 goats
The chickens are all hens, except a mille fluer/silkie cross roo. They are all named and our pets and in the unfortunate event of a death they get buried.....not eaten
Anyway...I would like to consolidate my multiple coops into one large coop. I want it to be good for 30 chickens max. I am around half that right now but want to anticipate more growth...and try and avoid the add ons if possible later. I also am building a large coop that I can walk in. I am 6'5 and am tired of ducking and crawling to get into the coops!!!
So now to my question...My birds are locked in at night but otherwise are outside in a fenced in area that is a good 50'x100'. I will also have a large "enclosed" area connected to the coop that is fenced and has a roof over it for when the weather is not the best. Being that they will have all these additional areas do I have to go by the 4sq ft rule as they are hardly ever inside? I know that bigger is probably always better, but I am trying to save on costs if possible as well as taking the outside area that they spend much of their time in.
Any ideas or suggestions on this would be much appreciated.
Thanks
I've read a lot about the recommended 4 sq ft per bird.
We bought a coop when we started...but of course wanted more chickens so i built a second coop...then we had a sick bird so I built a hospital "wing" off that coop...and in the late fall got some silkies that I didn't really want to introduce with the others until spring so they got their own apartment as well. Oh and I have 4 ducks that have their own house in the mix of it all...and 3 goats
Anyway...I would like to consolidate my multiple coops into one large coop. I want it to be good for 30 chickens max. I am around half that right now but want to anticipate more growth...and try and avoid the add ons if possible later. I also am building a large coop that I can walk in. I am 6'5 and am tired of ducking and crawling to get into the coops!!!
So now to my question...My birds are locked in at night but otherwise are outside in a fenced in area that is a good 50'x100'. I will also have a large "enclosed" area connected to the coop that is fenced and has a roof over it for when the weather is not the best. Being that they will have all these additional areas do I have to go by the 4sq ft rule as they are hardly ever inside? I know that bigger is probably always better, but I am trying to save on costs if possible as well as taking the outside area that they spend much of their time in.
Any ideas or suggestions on this would be much appreciated.
Thanks
I've read a lot about the recommended 4 sq ft per bird.
