- Sep 28, 2011
 
- 44
 
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Pretty new to chickens and very new to BYC.  Last May we picked up (sorry for spelling) 3 ameracaunas, 3 silver laced wynadottes,  and 2 buff orpingtons.  chics were a couple days old and a few are starting to lay right now.  I built them a nice 6x8 coop with leftover construction materials as I am a contractor.  
Since I didn't want to free range for all the red-tailed hawks, coons, etc. I liked the idea of a rotational system on fresh grass/bugs. I built a 3 foot wide run that comes perpendicular off the pop door, we have 4 paddocks 215 sq. ft. that feed off the run. Just shutting a gate at each "closed" paddock.
Big question for me: Is 215 square feet large enough for this type of rotational program with 8 large birds, where you keep them in each paddock for 7 days? The paddocks are 8x27
Appreciate any advice before I go around the welded wire with hardware cloth and make it permanent.
	
		
			
		
		
	
				
			Since I didn't want to free range for all the red-tailed hawks, coons, etc. I liked the idea of a rotational system on fresh grass/bugs. I built a 3 foot wide run that comes perpendicular off the pop door, we have 4 paddocks 215 sq. ft. that feed off the run. Just shutting a gate at each "closed" paddock.
Big question for me: Is 215 square feet large enough for this type of rotational program with 8 large birds, where you keep them in each paddock for 7 days? The paddocks are 8x27
Appreciate any advice before I go around the welded wire with hardware cloth and make it permanent.
	