Northern NJ - expanding run questions (page 3)?

[teach1rusl]

1) Your run looks more than secure enough to allow your birds free access to it during the day
2) A pop door is simply a small door (usually around 14 x 12") for your chickens, usually leading from the coop to the run. It's nice in winter because it allows less cold air in during winters...
3) Your coop run probably does seem roomy now, because your chicks are babies. But when they're grown to the size of house cats...well...can you imagine 25 house cats living in that space??? As was pointed out, most folks try to give their chickens a minimum of about 14 sq. ft of space each (4 sq. ft indoors/10 sq. ft. outdoors); your birds currently only have about 5 sq. ft. each TOTAL. You have a high likelyhood of problems developing, especially as your birds mature, and especially when cold weather hits. You might want to consider downsizing your flock enough to give them appropriate space. Do you have the room to expand your run to about 250 sq. ft (you now have 64 sq. ft)???

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Your idea for the roosts in the run sounds good. Once they grow bigger you probably want more space for the run. Another though for the run is access to a shady spot.

 

[MrJesse34]

So I have the run as 8x8 and the coop as 8x8. That gives them access to 64 plus 64 square feet, which is 128 square feet. I can expand the run out by an additional 100 square feet, giving me 228 square feet total. Do you think this will be enough for them? Thats about 8 and 1/2 square feet per chicken? I don't want to go through the process of expanding the coop if its still not going to be enough space.

I also added a few roosts in the main run to give them some vertical space to go to if they want to.

The person that suggested selling on CL - what is that? The chickens themselves are pretty much fully feathered and if selling 5 or 6 chickens means that the whole flock will be healthier, I am open to that opportunity. Is there anyone nearby that would be willing to come pick them up? If so I could basically give them away.

 

[patandchickens]

8.5 sq ft (total indoor+outdoor) per hen is still rather tight, but it is so much better than just 5 sq ft total per hen that I would unquestionably say Do it. Certainly it gives you a better shot at avoiding big problems. You will still have major sanitation challenges.

By CL people mean Craigslist. Or you can post notes on local feedstore bulletin boards. If you *could* bring yourself to get rid of some of the chickens it would definitely make the rest of the flock's life easier and a bit safer, and your chickenkeeping task a bit easier.

Or wait til they get bigger (at least 14 wks or thereabouts) and identify who the biggest troublemakers are, and eat them. Not nearly as much meat as on supermarket chickens but EXTREMELY much tastier.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[MrJesse34]

Pat -

I have the plans to expand the run to include another 100 square feet. That would take me up to 228 total. If I pare down to 21 birds that puts me at 10.8 square feet per bird. Would you say that is the right amount? I bought a rainbow layer chick pack from McMurray hatchery and they shipped me 25, plus the 1 rare chick and I guess one extra for the hell of it. So right now I have 27. I have a couple doubles and triples of certain breeds that I could part with, bringing my chicken total down to 21. And the coop size at 228.

Would that be adequate? Even in winter, when they are going to be more closed in?

Thanks for all the info by the way!!

 

[Kaitie09]

10sq ft total is still pushing it, but that is a lot better. The pack you got, were they sexed first or did you get straight run? If your not planning on major breeding, it is recommended you only have about 1 rooster for every 10-15 hens. If you did get the straight run, you could always wait and weed out the extra roos. Craigslist is really good to get rid of extra roosters, We had 5 brothers snatched up within a few hours of posting. They went to a great home that had around 50 hens that were free ranged and they needed protection.


*never mind, just went on the website and they are sexed*

 

[MrJesse34]

Quote:
They are 27 female chicks that I ordered. I do not have any roosters that I know about. They were vaccinated for both Marek's disease and Coccidosis. So if I'm doing the math correctly, 21 chicks in 228 square feet should be 10.8 per. You still think its going to be tight?

Also, I'd rather give them to someone from this site than just some stranger off CL.

 

[Kaitie09]

They are 27 female chicks that I ordered. I do not have any roosters that I know about. They were vaccinated for both Marek's disease and Coccidosis. So if I'm doing the math correctly, 21 chicks in 228 square feet should be 10.8 per. You still think its going to be tight?

Also, I'd rather give them to someone from this site than just some stranger off CL.

Ours have 15sq feet in just outside space and 4.75 interior space. My advice would be to go as big as you possible can, or let them free range when you are home. We had 17 hens in the same about of space as yours and they started pulling feathers off each other. They all ended up looking like they were half plucked so we sold them all off in smaller groups, rebuilt, and got new ones.​