New guy with a Question

[bigbama]

First I would like to say this is a great place to get advice, helpful tips and just knowledge in general to be successful at all types poultry projects. I have been checking out this site for a while and it is the reason that I have choosen chickens as a hobby. To get to the question that I have. Wife and I are moving to the country, the property has a barn in ( which a portion will be converted to chicken quarters) and about 3 acres of pasture which I plan to fence in to keep my birds. Can anyone tell me about how many chickens can live comfortably within that area alsom I do plan to continue feeding laying pellets. I sincerley appriciate any and all advice and opinions. THANKS

 

[pbjls]

lets just say a thousand.

 

[Mikedero]

To give you a example I will have a total of 18 laying hens in a 12X30 Run with a 6X8 coop with 3 acres you can house more then you will ever need

Better question is have you had chickens before??? my suggestion if you have not check out the site learn all that you can and start off with like 6 chickens. then you can always add more and you will like just about everyone else did. When you gain the knowledge you will end up wanting this breed and that breed.

You might even want to get a few guina fowl (Spelling is incorrect) they are great alrams and eat the ticks and such. you are in for one awesome adventure

 

[WaterfowlWierdo]

couple hundred id say...I agree with Mikedero get some guineafowl or some geese

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree that you should get a few chickens, maybe different breeds to start out, because when you you learn about other breeds and egg colors, you may want more. The size of your chicken coop is the main thing. Allow 4 square ft. per bird or more, and more in the run. I free range mine, but there are times you will want to keep them in (say if you have a predator,) so it is good to have at least a small run. Be very cautious about buying chickens or chicks from swap meets and people you don't know. Baby chicks is a good way to start, and usually they are healthy from hatcheries and feed stores, but you can get chronic diseases brought into your farm forever by buying 1 sick chicken. If you have a friend who has chickens, get recommendations from them. Chickens don't need to be fenced in, but it helps to fence out neighbor dogs. Make your coop like Ft. Knox against raccoons, cuyotes, possums, skunks, owls, hawks, and dogs.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

The capacity will depend much more on how much barn space you choose to convert, than the pasture area probably. I think you might find that starting with a fairly small flock of under 25 birds would be helpful. This allows you to learn as you go and clarify what you want to get out of raising chickens. Frankly, I think it makes keeping birds more enjoyable and allows you to develop your goals from year to year.

Even with a lot of forage area for the chickens, I think you would still feed them some layer pellets, but you wont go through them as fast as someone who does not let their chickens free range. To supplement their calcium for strong egg shells, you would give them a separate bowl of oyster shell to peck at when they want.

 

[UnlabeledMama]

I would ask how much indoor space you are planning to have for them. The "rule" is 4 square feet in the coop per chicken and 10 square feet per chicken in the run. I have 18 hens with a 10x10 coop and 20x20 run.