How many Chickens in how big an area?

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mum2many

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How many Chickens in how big an area?
« on: February 27, 2007, 13:28 »
Ok I know its the same as how long is a piece of string :lol:

Total beginner at this but would like to have our own chickens.

how many should we start with?
how big an area would you allow for the coop and run to keep that number happy?
Em x
Already got names for my chooks but dont tell "Tom"
organic? non organic? not a clue only just started

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mum2many

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How many Chickens in how big an area?
« Reply #1 on: February 27, 2007, 17:15 »
Ok, how about 4 hens to start with in a 6ft x 4ft shed/coop with 6ft x 4 ft run?

to big?
to small?
to many birds for a beginner?

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Aunt Sally

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How many Chickens in how big an area?
« Reply #2 on: February 27, 2007, 17:34 »
As a rule of thumb each hen should have at least 1 sq meter of run space.

4 hens = 4 squ meters

6 x 4 ft run is aprox  2.6 sq meters   (quick conversion done there)

The coop does not need to be nearly that big as thy only need to roost and lay there. ( I guess an eglu (for 4 birds) is about 1 sq meter though I've never measured it).

Hope that helps  :D

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muntjac

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How many Chickens in how big an area?
« Reply #3 on: February 27, 2007, 20:27 »
its big enough for 5 hens and 8 bantams , get a breed that is easy to manage like welsummers .or buff orpington bantams , these sizes are what came i when the animal geniuses got together and said  this is what a chicken needs ,.without consulting the chicken...... :roll: .if they can  keep 500 hens in a 100 yd by 30 yd barn complex and care for them like they do with  roost poles all around the beds and get away with it  by not breaking the same laws applied to small keepers ,then where do they figures come in then .. .  :wink:  :lol:
still alive /............

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Aunt Sally

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How many Chickens in how big an area?
« Reply #4 on: February 27, 2007, 20:29 »
Do those poor chooks ever see the sky Munty  :(

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muntjac

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How many Chickens in how big an area?
« Reply #5 on: February 27, 2007, 20:37 »
yeh course they do sally ,when they are taken in crates to slaugter and the processing house .we had a processing plant in nth lowestoft
" wessex foods "  what a day it was when a lorry lost part of  its load at the roundabout up the road from the plant ( pontins roundabout ) hundred of chooks running everywhere .i saw people stopping to help catch them and sticking them in thier cars n driving off . even today and thats 4 yrs after you can see the odd white hen wandering around .i know one lady on the main A12 kept a few hens and she suddenly aquired a dozen or so more lolo. i dont disagree with growing chicken to feed folks  its the same as every food supply what i do not like is the conditions . you may have heard me refer to the chicken farm on the back of the estate i work on  walking round the hedges over looking the place i see a skip full of dead birds , men and women walk out on occasion and will be carrying several dead birds and without a thought just throw them in the skip .. this skip goes to a well known pet food manufacturer  :shock:

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Aunt Sally

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How many Chickens in how big an area?
« Reply #6 on: February 27, 2007, 20:41 »
I think everyone should be forced to go and see these kinds of conditions before they buy their 2 chickens for £5 at Tesco's  :evil:

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muntjac

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How many Chickens in how big an area?
« Reply #7 on: February 27, 2007, 20:47 »
its an argument i dont go into when feeding people . i dont have to go and spend what little money some folks have choosing to eat it or not i am suffiently ok to have a choice . i refuse to knock people for eating it when i see the cost of a so called organic chicken .probably imported from france or germany  :roll:   i dont moan  at folks who are just trying to survive :(

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richyrich7

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How many Chickens in how big an area?
« Reply #8 on: February 27, 2007, 21:13 »
Valid point you have there Muntjac, did you know according to the Times newspaper due to high tax's, utilities etc we now have less disposable income than in the late 60's?  :shock:

B2t the first book I read on poultry gave 4 square foot per bird as ample room, Personally I like the idea of plenty of room inside. My 3 are in more or less 6x4 inside on a deep bed of straw and wood shavings with a 8x4 run outside, on bad days they spend most of the day digging in the litter in the shed. Need to extend inside as I want another three  :lol:
He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.

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Aunt Sally

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How many Chickens in how big an area?
« Reply #9 on: February 27, 2007, 22:22 »
Quote from: "muntjac"
its an argument i dont go into when feeding people . i dont have to go and spend what little money some folks have choosing to eat it or not i am suffiently ok to have a choice . i refuse to knock people for eating it when i see the cost of a so called organic chicken .probably imported from france or germany  :roll:   i dont moan  at folks who are just trying to survive :(
You're quite right Munty.  I can remember when I was a child having a chicken for sunday dinner was a very special occasion.  They were very expensive.  But I'll lay a bet that some of the people who insist on eating factory farmed animals are the same people who have mobile phones, satelite TV and go to the Costas for their holidays.  There was no factory farming when I was young and we all ate well.

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little miss muffat

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How many Chickens in how big an area?
« Reply #10 on: February 27, 2007, 23:16 »
I have to agree with u aunt sally and u muntjac, trying to save some battery hens and the very bad conditions thay live in, if we ban the battery farms the eggs will only be imported so we have to teach the children and the people around us about what is going on in these places.

I dropped that into lowercase for you.  Aunty X
M Power

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muntjac

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How many Chickens in how big an area?
« Reply #11 on: February 27, 2007, 23:18 »
can we just distinguish between barn farms and battery farms here ... barn farms raise table birds for tesco's etc .battery farms only do eggs .i totaly disagree with battery but not barn farms...... i thank you  :wink:

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Foxy

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How many Chickens in how big an area?
« Reply #12 on: February 28, 2007, 19:57 »
Completely agree with aunt sally - I think we have become far removed from our food sources and just buy the cheapest of the shelves without any thought about where it comes from. My gran always had chickens anf goats in the garden (the goats I remember used to pinch her bloomers off the washing line!)
I remember a programme recently Hugh Furnely Whittingstall from "River Cottage" trying to educate junk food addicts around this point -when it came to the slaughter they become very emotional. We see animals as "pets" and find it hard to see as "food".Its how we are brought up now -a shame. Owch -just fell of my soap box!!!

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muntjac

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How many Chickens in how big an area?
« Reply #13 on: February 28, 2007, 20:00 »
but they did have some luck n turn things around and it was monty don one i saw



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