What's a good chicken to yard size ratio?

[AriLovesChickens]

Hopefully this is in the right place...

I know the suggested sq ft for coops and runs. I'm curious what a decent amount of space would be for hens to free range part of the day without destroying the yard. I hear of most city dwellers getting about three chickens (often what the city allows), but in Seattle, at least, most of the lots are very tiny (IMO). Our yard is about a quarter acre, more than half of which is fenced in the back. Does six chickens seem like too many for this space? I started out planning to get 3-4 chicks and then convinced myself it would be fine to get more. Now I'm not so sure. (We don't have them yet).

 

[colebarnhart]

It doesn't really matter what anyone tells you. I can sense that you are already getting addicted and you'll end up getting more and more, lol

 

[AriLovesChickens]

Ha! That may be true...but I'm renting right now, and I don't want to upset my landlord. When it's my own yard, this will be less of an issue.

 

[enjoyin' my chickens]

I have a 10'x10' run with a 4'x8' elevated coop. I have incorporated extra run space under my coop. I have 8 chickens 2 of which are roosters and all seem to be very happy and comfortable with this space. I live on a 1/2 acre with the coop on the lower 1/4 with the well house (8'x8') and a good portion of it is fenced in for my dogs. i hope this helps in your endeavor with the chickens.

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

Its not about the chickens, its the poop. 4 chickens wasn't nearly enough poop. Now I'm down to 8.5 chickens after letting 5 teenroos go. I really miss the poop.

My lot is 100X100, I could really use the poop of 15-ish. But I don't have that much love or patience for all those demanding lap time. Chickens can be a little more sociable than a cat. They will want your attention. Its not ONLY about animal cage-n-run issues, its also about OUR human needs for gardening and quality pet time. When we only had 4, they were all over us. Now that there's more birds in the flock, they squabble with each other more and can wait their turn. Its a little like having kids, I think 2 is the hardest a parent can do, but more than 3 and its just another plate on the table, they take care of each other.

 

[teach1rusl]

I'm not sure - do you have an appx. size of your yard??? I can't picture whether it's postage stamp sized, basic suburbia small, etc. And it also depends on how much time they would be allowed out in it. If you're talking, just when you get home from work, a few hours each evening, well - that's a lot different than daylight to dark.
I do know that I'd go with the lesser amount of birds if I was concerned about the issue. You can always add 2 birds later if things work out well, but it's a lot tougher (emotionally) to get rid of birds if things don't work out.

ETA - and I agree that the droppings will be about as big an issue as worrying about things getting eaten down. The smaller amount of birds you have per size of lot, the greater chance of being able to still enjoy your yard without constantly stepping in chicken poo...lol.

 

[BoltonChicken]

The size of your yard is not going to be the limiting factor. The size of your coop will tell you how many chickens you should have. In the normal residential suburban 1/4 acre house site you could probably put 20 chickens, but it would take a 80 square foot coop (8 x 10) to keep them at night.

Also as others have noted, the noise, poop and smell would probably have an impact on the neighbors.