When Should We Have More Than the Minimums for Space?

[3KillerBs]

I'm collecting information for an article on the usual space guidelines and want to be able to help people understand both why those guidelines are guidelines, not rules and when having extra space makes sense.

Two things that came to my mind this morning were:

Flexibility -- because I have the massively over-sized run made from 100 feet of electric net for only 5 hens (over 100 square feet per hen!!!), I had a choice of locations to set up Cordon's broody-breaker cage.

Sanitation -- Again, my oversized run doesn't get overloaded with poop and thus has no odor and requires minimal maintenance.

So, in what situations have you benefited from extra space?

What situations did you wish you had extra space when you didn't have it?

 

[Cecisflock]

What situations did you wish you had extra space when you didn't have it?

I was sent too many chicks (2 more than I ordered) so because of this my brooder soon became a little tight and I had to buy ANOTHER coop I wasn't planning to purchase. EXTRA SPACE ALWAYS!

 

[Brooks_]

I'm collecting information for an article on the usual space guidelines and want to be able to help people understand both why those guidelines are guidelines, not rules and when having extra space makes sense.

Two things that came to my mind this morning were:

Flexibility -- because I have the massively over-sized run made from 100 feet of electric net for only 5 hens (over 100 square feet per hen!!!), I had a choice of locations to set up Cordon's broody-breaker cage.

Sanitation -- Again, my oversized run doesn't get overloaded with poop and thus has no odor and requires minimal maintenance.

So, in what situations have you benefited from extra space?

What situations did you wish you had extra space when you didn't have it?

I am happy that the nearly 100' of WW provided ample space for the flock in the run. I regret that the coop is too small for proper integration of newbies.

 

[Brooks_]

EXTRA SPACE ALWAYS!

YES, always.

 

[Cecisflock]

YES, always.

I regret it soooo much, but it looks like we have one roo so that will be 7

 

[DobieLover]

I'm collecting information for an article on the usual space guidelines and want to be able to help people understand both why those guidelines are guidelines, not rules and when having extra space makes sense.

Two things that came to my mind this morning were:

Flexibility -- because I have the massively over-sized run made from 100 feet of electric net for only 5 hens (over 100 square feet per hen!!!), I had a choice of locations to set up Cordon's broody-breaker cage.

Sanitation -- Again, my oversized run doesn't get overloaded with poop and thus has no odor and requires minimal maintenance.

So, in what situations have you benefited from extra space?

What situations did you wish you had extra space when you didn't have it?

Flock integration and BROODY hens! When her hormones tell her to kill everything within a 3 ft radius of her chicks, it's of great benefit to the intruder to be able to get far away and FAST!

 

[neo71665]

Mine is over sized so when I have to replace the current flock and can do so easily. I can simply let a mother hatch out and take out the older birds at my picking. I don't have to worry about where I'm putting them or having to fill up my freezer all at once.

 

[3KillerBs]

Mine is over sized so when I have to replace the current flock and can do so easily. I can simply let a mother hatch out and take out the older birds at my picking. I don't have to worry about where I'm putting them or having to fill up my freezer all at once.

That's one that I haven't heard before. Thanks.

 

[saysfaa]

I find it much easier to avoid problems than fix them. If extra space gives enough room for one hen to get out of sight or out of reach of another, so excessive pecking or feather picking or dehydration or poor feeding don't get started, I would rather provide that then try to stop those kinds of behaviors. Besides, the stresses that result in such behaviors have a bad effect on health and production before they are bad enough to show up overtly. I don't want to be dependent on luck in getting hens that like each other a lot all the time.

Some birds are more active than others, so need more space. Even if they aren't more active, exercise is important and birds of all activity levels are encouraged to move more if they have plenty of room even without enrichment things. Adding enrichment objects helps with that, too, and is much easier to add such things and move them around periodically. That isn't usually considered in the rule of thumb minimums.

Also, any given amount of space per bird is going to be functionally bigger for two birds than for one, for three birds than for four, etc.

 

[21hens-incharge]

When integrating new birds, segregating for broody breaking or recovery, when a broody becomes the devil (I know it was mentioned above ), any time chicken A decides they don't like chicken B.

Not only that but it makes tending to cleaning and health checks easier.