Newbie Questions

[e_roehm23]

We just inherited 4 silkies and 2 Ameraucanas from a friend. We have seperate coops for both because they fight. We live on an acre and have neighbors right next door on both sides, so the possibility of allowing the chicks in our yard is pretty slim .....unless you have suggestions,lol! The main issue is, if we can't allow the chickens out in the yard, how large do the chicken runs need to be? We need 2 seperate runs, large enough for 4-6 birds each, as we may be getting a few more hens. Also, how big for the nesting boxes, and any other pertinant info.

thanks!

 

[FlashPointFarm]

You may want to check out the sticky in this section, BYC Coop Section Helpful Thread Index. All of your questions, and then some, should be covered there.

 

[Backyard_Chicken_rancher]

I have the same amount of space as you so I know the pains you are having and what I did was I made one run in front of my coop and one in the back both are about 10 feet long However the one in the back is only about 5 feet wide where the one in front is 10 feet wide and I have 30 chickens not counting babies and they live happy lives acrtching and running about they follow the sun in the morning they are in the front in the afternoon in the back but they say you shaould have 10 sq feet per chicken I say as long as they have plenty of room to scratch they and don't fight then they are good so it is up to you make it as big as you feel it needs to be with that few they don't need alot of room........

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I think you'll find your chickens will be able to free range some even with a small lot. I'm on a smaller lot than that and let my girls out. Being less forage this time of year they tend to wander more so I don't let em out of run until noon. Also with free ranging the flocks will get a pecking order established without "fighting". More places for the shy/weaker ones to run to and the flock will settle itself out after a few weeks. You'll find that they can all live together after intermingleing in the yard. I just introduced 2 birds and it took 4 weeks, now they go into the coop with the others and no problems when left in the run.

 

[patandchickens]

As big as you can stand to make them. Really really. You will not regret it, in a buncha ways (sanitation, aesthetics, chicken happiness). I would suggest building your runs in multiples of whatever size rolls of fencing you can obtain locally... for instance if the kind of mesh you want to use is sold in 50' rolls, plan to use either 50 or 100 or 150' of it. Not that leftovers are a bad thing of course, if you think you would realistically use them, but a lot of people wouldn't and so may as well arrange the posts to use up all the fencing they've bought

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[mgw]

Quote:
x2 pat always has good answers. I used the minimum space per bird on ours and I wish it was double or triple the size.