Run Size and Free Ranging Question

[donrae]

With that space, your adult birds are going to need to free range several hours a day, every day, consistently. It's really a small space for that many birds. You don't list your location, but as mentioned by lazygardener you'll need to evaluate your climate. How often are the birds going to be confined due to bad weather? Even self-confined?

My other thought is what about vacations or illness, things like that? If you're suddenly unavailable to do the day to day care for your birds, is someone else going to be able to come supervise, or even let them in and out? IMO it's much better to have a larger coop, for contingencies like that.

 

[ChickenTownie]

With that space, your adult birds are going to need to free range several hours a day, every day, consistently. It's really a small space for that many birds. You don't list your location, but as mentioned by lazygardener you'll need to evaluate your climate. How often are the birds going to be confined due to bad weather? Even self-confined?

My other thought is what about vacations or illness, things like that? If you're suddenly unavailable to do the day to day care for your birds, is someone else going to be able to come supervise, or even let them in and out? IMO it's much better to have a larger coop, for contingencies like that.

I live in Oklahoma so we do get some cold weather. I considered putting up some plastic sheeting around the run (with vents for some air) in the winter sort of like a green house to keep their run a little warmer so they can go out and about. Is that a good idea?

My wife is available to help out with the chickens and if we were both sick or gone then my parents live right up the road and my dad in particular LOVES animals so he will already have been coming over to check things out and be familiar with them... Plus my in-laws live close as well and are wanting to potentially get their own chickens so they would be happy to help!

I also might invest in an automatic door for the coop as well for a worst case scenario so they they will still have access to their enclosed run even on a bad day. I had my friend add some more space to the run so they will have more like 8 ft outside plus 4 ft in the coop per bird . Also, the way it is built, I think I would be able to add more coop and run space in the future. Thanks again for all the information and advice.

 

[jetdog]

This is what I do come winter, I wrap 3 sides with a heavy canvas,I had it laying around, then I made a frame with 1x3 strapping and sandwiched a clear shower curtain in between, it keeps the snow out and

lets the sunshine in kinda like a greenhouse effect, it
is quite abit warmer inside and the shower curtain
held up great, cheap enough at $2 so if I need to
throw it out it's not a great expense.
The automatic door will be the best thing you will ever buy I love mine.

 

[ChickenTownie]

This is what I do come winter, I wrap 3 sides with a heavy canvas,I had it laying around, then I made a frame with 1x3 strapping and sandwiched a clear shower curtain in between, it keeps the snow out and

lets the sunshine in kinda like a greenhouse effect, it
is quite abit warmer inside and the shower curtain
held up great, cheap enough at $2 so if I need to
throw it out it's not a great expense.
The automatic door will be the best thing you will ever buy I love mine.

Thats just what I had in mind! Thanks for the picture! Do they ever get too hot or stuffy in there?

 

[jetdog]

No it doesn't get stuffy I have the front and back open at the top maybe about 8 inches in the back and around 6 inches at the top of the shower curtain,it lets a good amount of air flow through but being up high it doesn't blow on them, there have been days during that polar vortex where it was at least 15 degrees warmer inside, this year I'm going to get a digital thermometer.

 

[lazy gardener]

I love the idea of a permanent electric fence at ground level. That eliminates the hassle of a skirt. I'm thinking of doing something similar around the periphery of the new coop that i'll be building before cold weather hits. I'd like to run 2 - 3 strands around the back 3 sides, perhaps with paving blocks on the ground so there wouldn't be an issue with grass growing up and hindering the elec. It would be super sweet to put it on a timer to run opposite of the pop door. Elec fence on at night, pop door open during the day.

 

[ChickenTownie]

I love the idea of a permanent electric fence at ground level. That eliminates the hassle of a skirt. I'm thinking of doing something similar around the periphery of the new coop that i'll be building before cold weather hits. I'd like to run 2 - 3 strands around the back 3 sides, perhaps with paving blocks on the ground so there wouldn't be an issue with grass growing up and hindering the elec. It would be super sweet to put it on a timer to run opposite of the pop door. Elec fence on at night, pop door open during the day.

That is a really good idea! I wonder if the solar fences have timers though? It would work if you ran a power line to the coop for sure

 

[lazy gardener]

I would run a power line, as I plan to have power there anyways. you could run it through a timer, or just leave it hooked up 24/7. They don't draw that much power.