SPACE!

[Coturnix Quail]

I've recently found my chickens love being in the garden, but it isn't always possible - especially with the predators and the colder season coming around. I usually take 6/10 of my hens out. (Some of them will seriously run away if I let them out.) I've built my own, fairly large coop, but I was thinking to expand it because it seems like they could use some more room for winter. I've got 1 BR Bantam, 1 Buff Orpington, 1 EE, 1 EE Bantam, 1 Blue Cochin, 1 Australorp, 2 RIR hens, and 1 RIR rooster (he won't be around much longer...) If I could have some calculations and see how big the coop and run would need to be, that would help tons. I so dearly wish free-ranging was an option, but there are hawks, foxes, raccoons, and so many more predators.. Plus I live right next to a forest, and there's no fence, so they could just "disappear". They really like me and love being with me, and I love that too, but I don't have too much time anymore to hang out with them, and I feel like if I don't visit them everyday, we won't have as strong of a bond as we do now, and they'll forget about me?? If that's true, is there's something I can do to prevent that, and what would it be??

 

[BantammChick]

About 10 inches of roosting space for a chicken.You can look in other threads in this forum to help you with your chicken's coop.Make sure you have enough roosting room in your chicken house. Your chickens will not forget about you if you just can't visit them everyday,but you need to feed and water them everyday.You can make sure to keep them your pets by feeding them treats and petting them as often as you can.