Proper Chicken Ethics

[Brachiosaurus]

My family has been contemplating getting chickens for a while now, and recently we've decided it's time. We've looked into breeds and the basic how to's, and the time has come to start construction on the chicken habitat. We already have a chicken coop (about 6ft wide, 5 ft long and 9 ft high) but we're still looking into the chicken run for our 4-5 soon-to-be-Orpington-chickens. Because of predators and the like, we can't have them free-range.
My sister and I are the main proprietors of this journey and we have conflicting views about how large the run should be. Ever the realist, I say the run should be no larger than 25ft by 25ft. Ever the sentimentalist, she says it's ethical to give them upwards of 50ft by 50ft. She says the extra costs will pay out in the long run. I'd love another opinion from someone who has had/currently has chickens.

 

[Rose Quartz]

My family has been contemplating getting chickens for a while now, and recently we've decided it's time. We've looked into breeds and the basic how to's, and the time has come to start construction on the chicken habitat. We already have a chicken coop (about 6ft wide, 5 ft long and 9 ft high) but we're still looking into the chicken run for our 4-5 soon-to-be-Orpington-chickens. Because of predators and the like, we can't have them free-range.
My sister and I are the main proprietors of this journey and we have conflicting views about how large the run should be. Ever the realist, I say the run should be no larger than 25ft by 25ft. Ever the sentimentalist, she says it's ethical to give them upwards of 50ft by 50ft. She says the extra costs will pay out in the long run. I'd love another opinion from someone who has had/currently has chickens.

the "recommended" minimum sq footage of run space for chickens is 10 per bird.

that would be closer to a 6x9 run for 5 chickens. 25x25 is 125 sqft per bird.

unless youre planning on a lot more chickens later, I really wouldn't make anything bigger.

 

[jthornton]

You can't have too much space in the run, as mentioned the bare minimum is 10 sq ft per bird. I assume you have hawks and eagles where you live so a covered run would be the best.

JT

 

[Eilsel]

I would also recommend to go bigger than the "minimum" and say build it as big as you can afford and consider the covering part into your cost as well. If you get much precipitation ideally at least part of your run would have a solid roof.

 

[jthornton]

Also add your location to your profile so everyone knows what typical weather you have.

JT

 

[BantamBetty]

I wouldn't go bigger than 25x25 for that many birds. Remember that every added square foot is another you need to muck out when the time comes! Also, the extra space just multiplies the total cost. I also recommend a solid roof for at least part of it. My run is 12x8 and fully covered. I also used 6" of sand as the substrate. (Another added cost!)

 

[21hens-incharge]

I agree that 25x25 is plenty big enough. I aso would cover at least art of it to provide shade and a dry place.

 

[bjmoose]

"Bigger is better" but even 25x25 is about 10x the "minimum recommended space."

Remember, your enclosure serves two purposes: 1. keep the chickens in. 2. keep the chicken eating predators out. Even urban environments have common predators such as hawks and raccoons.

I assume on a run of that size, you're not really looking at building a "predator proof" enclosure and that you're just planning on containing the chickens during the day, and then keeping them in a secure coop at night. I could be wrong. But I think you'll find the cost of building a "predator proof" enclosure of that size to be startlingly high.

And even if the run is only to be used during the daytime, if the top of the run remains uncovered, the chickens are subject to hawk attack during the day.

 

[aart]

25x25 would be great area for 5 birds.
Take the extra money and build a secure run within that space so when you have trouble with preds they can have a safer place to be.

 

[lazy gardener]

Are you in snow country? If so, take that into consideration. Predators are an issue all year long. To that end, I have turned one bay of my run into a winter sun room with plastic over N, S, and E walls, open to the W. Part of that run is covered with green house tarp, and the remainder is covered with 2 x 4 welded fencing. I have to knock snow off fencing and sun roof tarp several times during each storm. After snow season, I open up the rest of the run, and put up bird netting to exclude hawks. This run is by no means predator proof, but it does keep the day time predators out, and I lock the flock up safely every night.

So, plan your run to be manageable under heavy snow load if that is an issue for you.