Vent gleet???

[Nashelle]

I'd guess it's one of the barred rocks, they are huge birds. The run is approx 10 x 4ft and 10 x 10ft joined would that be too small an area for ten? We ended up with a rooster because nobody wants male chickens.

 

[coach723]

Yes, I think you need more space. Especially with a rooster in the mix. They need room to get away if they want to. Space is probably contributing to the feather picking problem.

 

[Nashelle]

Yes, I think you need more space. Especially with a rooster in the mix. They need room to get away if they want to. Space is probably contributing to the feather picking problem.

This may be a daft question and I can't find a definitive answer on google but how much space should chickens have? I measured the run earlier and it's actually 16ft by 8ft and 11ft by 8.

 

[Thatscluckinggreat]

This may be a daft question and I can't find a definitive answer on google but how much space should chickens have? I measured the run earlier and it's actually 16ft by 8ft and 11ft by 8.

10 chickens X 10 square feet per bird (recommended minimum) = 100 ft2. You have 216 ft2. Space in the run is plenty. Space in the coop and linear feet of roost? Minimum 4 ft2 per bird and 1 linear foot is recommended.

 

[coach723]

Those are minimum general guidelines. The actual space needed depends very much on the birds in it, their personalities, temperaments. If you have roosters it changes things a lot. If you have aggressive or dominant hens it changes it a lot. If you have bullying or feather picking going on then you need more space. The more space you can give them, the better. They need room to get away from each other, just like people, they don't all always get along, they have other birds they prefer to others. Giving them space, and places to hide (without getting cornered) or get up and away, helps a lot in peace in the flock. The behavior and condition of your flock is what should dictate how much space they need, and have.

 

[Thatscluckinggreat]

Those are minimum general guidelines. The actual space needed depends very much on the birds in it, their personalities, temperaments. If you have roosters it changes things a lot. If you have aggressive or dominant hens it changes it a lot. If you have bullying or feather picking going on then you need more space. The more space you can give them, the better. They need room to get away from each other, just like people, they don't all always get along, they have other birds they prefer to others. Giving them space, and places to hide (without getting cornered) or get up and away, helps a lot in peace in the flock. The behavior and condition of your flock is what should dictate how much space they need, and have.

Agreed

 

[Nashelle]

Thanks for the clear answer. The coop is 8x6. I've just dug up a few patches of ground inside their run and they're all happily digging about. It's been raining a lot lately so no dust baths.

 

[Nashelle]

Think I've identified the culprit! She's the only one with no missing feathers. Managed to catch her and put her in solitary all day. Let her out because it's almost bedtime and the first thing she did was peck the others! She wasn't a happy hen