Hello there! We are first time chicken owners that live in northern New Hampshire in a neighborhood that does not allow free range chickens. Even if it were allowed, we would not because there are multiple crazy dogs that harass the rabbits that we already have and there are bears and fisher cats. SO, we had to make do with what we had. We bought a 10x10 dog run, and put our coop inside of it. There is about 8*10 feet of space for our 3 birds. For extra protection, we pu chicken wire down to keet 'diggers' out. Because they are not going to be free range, we will also be feeding them (as a supplement to their layer feed) meal worms, slugs, sunflower seeds, fresh vegetables from our garden (including corn), and scratch (in the winter) to keep a variety going. I understand that 8*10 is not a lot, but we will keep the ground covered in straw ( for scratching/ entertainment) and provide then a dust box. Is there anything you guys can recommend from experience? Is 8*10 enough for three birds?
The coop and run!
Another angle that shows the rabbit hutch.
Inside the run. We put leaves down for additional cover.
The chicken wire... |_ <- the wire looks something like that in the ground
Again, inside the run.
We really don't know if this is okay. We'd love to hear your opinion on our set up!
But yes, cover the top with something to keep animals from climbing over and tearing into the cute little coop they will be sleeping in. Maybe a solid roof so that in the snow they will still have a place to go out and stretch their legs. There is plenty of room for three.
