Newbie question here.... I actually don't have chickens yet. I've been planning and scheming to get DH on board for a LONG time and now we are at the planning stage of putting in a garden AND a chicken coop.... I want the chickens to be able to forage in our yard while protecting the main garden, so they will free range in a smaller area (which can also be better protected from hawks/owls). So they'll have an area larger than a run but not full range of the whole yard.
My question is, how much space does each chicken need for forage each day/week? I know that if they're let loose in the garden there won't be anything left for us, so they'll have their own garden. But obviously, I'll need to block of sections of new growth so they don't mow down the seedlings before they become plants. How much room do they need each day or week to forage (assuming I don't buy feed or only supplement a bit with FF and whatever food scraps from our family of 4)? I'm trying to figure out how many sections of what size I can get away with. I'll be planting veggies and greens in addition to cover crops, and as I said, they will have access to our compost pile for house scraps and probably some fermented feed (this thread inspired me -- if I can make yogurt for my kids, I can make feed for the chickens!).
Ultimately, the goal is to not have to buy any feed except what I'm fermenting and supplementing and want to keep that at a minimum. I can also set aside space in the main garden to grow extra veggies and greens to toss in to them if need be, but frankly I have no idea how much a chicken eats in a day so that makes it difficult...
