woohoo

[greenfingers007]

Well, I have taken on an allotment july time last year and now my O/H has agreed that we can have some chickens in the back garden, the thig is very new to us, O/H has stated that they are to be rescued battery chooks, which is no problem as we know people who work in battery farms, any way what I woul;d like to know is how much space would three chooks need? advice most welcome.

Thanks in advance


dave

[Bephlam]

The big q is...how many do you want to have?

[MaureenHall]

Oh wow! congratulations 3 chooks don't take up a lot of space, but it's nice to give them as much as you possibly can, after all they've been "in prison" for the last year. When are you getting them? Read through some of the threads on here regarding coops, equipment etc, and don't forget to keep us updated with your progress

[Flummery]

Get or make a house at least double the size. I am assured by those who know that you won't stop at 3!

[kirsty b]

I started with 'only' 4 and now have 15! Doesn't stop me looking around at more either!

[Hans Mum]

Get or make a house at least double the size. I am assured by those who know that you won't stop at 3!

hope your listening to your own good advice flum

i concur with flum i started off with 2 and now ive got 8 they are now in DD old wendy house which is about 6x3 with a 28ft run, which i think means i can get a couplemore in

[di]

Such honest advice!!!
Sorry,not great with measurements etc,but totally agree that it's probably worth your while to go twice the size you work out you need...at least

[Eyren]

It's true that you always want more, however...

You need about one square metre of run per hen, and one nestbox in your henhouse per three birds - the henhouse itself doesn't have to be enormous, as they like snuggling up together on cold nights. If your garden is big enough for a 3m x 2m run, that would give you plenty of space for a couple more chickens if (or should I say when?) you want more!

The thing to watch out for is houses with attached runs - often the run is too small in proportion to the maximum number of birds the house will actually accommodate. Most arks are tiny, for example, and IMHO really only suitable for confining breeding birds. A standalone henhouse with a separate run (bought or homemade) is a better bet.

Finally, if you are building the run yourself, please do use weldmesh, not chicken wire - foxes can bite through chicken wire with ease. It needs a solid roof, as well, partly since foxes can climb but also to help prevent the ground turning into a mudbath. Plus in the remote eventuality of a bird flu outbreak, a roofed run with small mesh (i.e. one that wild birds can't get into or poo into from above) might save your girls from a cull

[MaureenHall]

Plus in the remote eventuality of a bird flu outbreak, a roofed run with small mesh (i.e. one that wild birds can't get into or poo into from above) might save your girls from a cull

That's a really valid point Eyren, and one that I am aware of but it's right at the back of my mind, you know, a bit like "I'll get round to doing that one day"

[Nicos]

I'd get 5 then you don't need to worry about having to sort out any probs in future if you chose to introduce another couple.
Yep-I'd go with 5 unless you have a good sized garden!

Have you thought about having a run on the lottie too- just for when you're down there? You could take them in a big cardboard box with you in the car when you go down for a few hours- or all day in the summer weekends!!!!OOOhhh...I bet they'd love that!!!

You'll e glad you've made the decision to get chooks!

[MaureenHall]

I used to take a couple of mine to the lottie with me last year As the lottie is literally a couple of hundred yards from my back gate, I just tucked one under my arm and carried her there then came back for another. They loved it and helped me get rid of a few of the overgrown weeds and stuff. Might do it again this year if I can find a space they can scrabble on

[frias]

Maureen, I have a wonderful thought of you striding along with a chicken under your arm and anyone passing you on the way spending all day wondering why.

[Flummery]

hope your listening to your own good advice flum

Oh Yes! The house will take 6 and the run will take - well, technically, 7.5! So once my 4 hybrids that I haven't got yet have settled, I could consider re-homing a couple from the local free range farm that turfs out annually. Even free rangers, though they've had a better quality of life, don't get any more quantity than battery hens. It's the pie faqctory at 18 months old.

[matthew2riches]

1sq meter outside per bird is a minimum. Mine have 11ft x 22ft run.

1sq foot inside per bird is a minimum. Mine have a little cosy house.

:-)

[MaureenHall]

Maureen, I have a wonderful thought of you striding along with a chicken under your arm and anyone passing you on the way spending all day wondering why.

Some don't wonder why, they stop and chat so they can ask me