Plans for a new backyard coop/run build

[TexasBlues]

I see 224. That sounds pretty small for 10 birds.

 

[ATXInstantFlock]

You mentioned you were only 15’ from the neighbors.
What is your total square footage for the run?

Ahh, sorry. I misspoke earlier. What I meant was ~15' from property line of closest neighbor since that's the way I measured the guide lines in sketchup. There is ~15'2" from fence to the side of their garage. I'm liberally rounding up everywhere, so I'm aiming for ~31'.

The poultry pen is a hair over 64 SQ ft, so as-is this would an additional 160 sq ft, so 224 sq ft total for 10 chickens (assuming the rooster makes it).

 

[ATXInstantFlock]

I see 224. That sounds pretty small for 10 birds.

Almost every recommendation I've seen says at least 10 sq ft. This would be close to 2.5x that minimum.

Barring free range or being in the middle of nowhere with 5 acres, I don't see very many runs on this site offering a lot more space. How much space would you suggest is required?

 

[rosemarythyme]

IMO 224 is plenty for 10 birds. No need to give the whole yard to them. But yes they'll decimate any grass/weeds in a couple of weeks.

I was able to keep some grass going for about 1 1/2 years by splitting the run and keeping 4 hens primarily on one half (200 sq ft), while giving them limited access to the grassier portion (300 sq ft). But once they had full access to the 300 sq ft they reduced it down to dirt in a couple months, and that's just 4 birds.

 

[ATXInstantFlock]

IMO 224 is plenty for 10 birds. No need to give the whole yard to them. But yes they'll decimate any grass/weeds in a couple of weeks.

I was able to keep some grass going for about 1 1/2 years by splitting the run and keeping 4 hens primarily on one half (200 sq ft), while giving them limited access to the grassier portion (300 sq ft). But once they had full access to the 300 sq ft they reduced it down to dirt in a couple months, and that's just 4 birds.

Thanks, that is very useful advice.

I've been reading up on different strategies to limit access to certain sections via grow friendly mesh covers that you can move around and rotate. Sounds feasible.

People talk about how chicken poop can be such great fertilizer, so presumably some people have successfully found ways to keep them entertained while actually seeing their grass and plants thrive.

 

[TexasBlues]

Almost every recommendation I've seen says at least 10 sq ft. This would be close to 2.5x that minimum.

Barring free range or being in the middle of nowhere with 5 acres, I don't see very many runs on this site offering a lot more space. How much space would you suggest is required?

For eggs to be labeled pasture raised it is 108 sqft/hen. I try to get close to that.

 

[ATXInstantFlock]

For eggs to be labeled pasture raised it is 108 sqft/hen.

Thanks for the input, I linked some HFAC info below. With a 1/4 acre here, I definitely don't have a "pasture". Crossing my fingers that I don't reach that number. If I do, that means a whole bunch of my flock has died and likely doesn't have enough friends to play with.

From certified humane

There is currently no legal definition for “Free Range” or “Pasture Raised” in the United States, therefore these terms are often used on poultry packaging with no unilateral definitions for the consumer to trust.

As of Jan 2014,
"Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) has revised their laying hen standards, which now divide the “Free Range” section of the standards into “Pasture Raised” and “Free Range.” The “Free Range” section was originally written for what is now defined as a “Pasture Raised” system"
...
HFAC’s Certified Humane® “Free Range” requirement is 2 sq. ft. per bird. The hens must be outdoors, weather permitting (in some areas of the country, seasonal), and when they are outdoors they must be outdoors for at least 6 hours per day. All other standards must be met.
...
HFAC’s Certified Humane® “Pasture Raised” requirement is 1000 birds per 2.5 acres (108 sq. ft. per bird) and the fields must be rotated. The hens must be outdoors year-round, with mobile or fixed housing where the hens can go inside at night to protect themselves from predators, or for up to two weeks out of the year, due only to very inclement weather.

P.S. For anyone following along, note that the definition is published by "Humane Farm Animal Care", and does not appear to be used by a government/regulatory agency in any country(I didn't find any, at least). So things you buy at the store are not likely to be following these guidelines unless stamped by HFAC.

 

[TexasBlues]

1/4 acre is perfect for 100 chickens at 108sqft/ea

 

[ATXInstantFlock]

1/4 acre is perfect for 100 chickens at 108sqft/ea

I meant that 1/4 acre is my entire house. I'm not bulldozing my entire house and rebuilding it on stilts so chickens run around underneath.

 

[paintedChix]

I've been reading up on different strategies to limit access to certain sections via grow friendly mesh covers that you can move around and rotate. Sounds feasible.

That would be a grow box & can be done in a variety of ways.

It could be a frame of 2x4 or 2x6 w/ wire across the top of the box. Bottom of the box is open & it could be moved around. The soil under the frame can be conditioned or amended & then planted in various seed - clover, oats, beets, alfalfa, various edible flowers, spinach, arugala, etc. The frame put back over it. The greens will grow up thru the wire screen & the chickens can graze off the tops but not scratch out the plants.

Or you can build a box (even use a water trough or shallow planters), put the amended soil(s) in it & again place the wire frame over it to allow it to grow through for chicken grazing.

People talk about how chicken poop can be such great fertilizer, so presumably some people have successfully found ways to keep them entertained while actually seeing their grass and plants thrive.

In most cases, grass/plants won't survive (more on that later). What can be done is DLM. This is Deep Litter Method. If you don't do this in your coop area, then you can take bedding & manure from coop & toss into the run when you refresh coop.

Then you add a variety of natural materials of various sizes - wood chips, straw/hay (can have issues), leaves, grass clippings from mowing the rest of your lawn, shredded junk mail, shredded cardboard. I added fruit & veggie scraps - I didn't seem to have more flies than usual, but we have very large front, side & back yards in the approx middle of 21 acres... At night, you could cover the food scraps with your other DLM and the chickens will happily hunt for it as the days go by. Or you could actually do a penned up compost pile in the chicken run that you can cover when wanted or needed, but uncover to allow chickens in to get to food scraps. They will turn, scratch & manure it for you w/I the bin... then you could move the bin, allowing the contents to mix w/ the rest of your DLM or you could use it directly as compost for your own garden, under your trees & bushes. Or as the compost matures, you could bag & sell it.

Here are pictures of various DLM I've used over the years.

My. DLM

Mountain Woman Youtube - BeeKissed on BYC. DLM

There are now MANY videos of DLM on YouTube, but I consider this one to be one of the best and most informative.

I'm posting this before I lose it or accidentally delete it (yep, that's a regular thing for me). Then I will address the plants in runs separately.

Happy chickening!!