[loretta cluck]

I thought i'd researched everything well prior to getting my 6 beautiful hybrids, and the same thing keeps nattering and nagging away at me.....i have a lovely coop and attached run, (9ft x 5ft and 6ft tall), and the girls are locked in this from 7am until 3.30...they are out in the garden for an hour in the morning, and at the moment, out free-ranging for 6hours until bedtime. One minute i read that the run is adequate room for them, and then the next item i read, totally conflicts this.  Are they okay in this?

[compostqueen]

It sounds ok to me. You can let them out when you get home so they can have a really good stretch and explore and do all the things chooks like to do, scratting about and dust bathing in your borders.  If you leave them a half or quarter half cabbage occasionally to peck at while they're locked in the run, or hang up a bunch of greens for them to reach up to, it saves them pecking each other through boredom. You can buy a thing called a Peck-a-block which is a seedy treat and again prevents them pecking each other.

I gave mine  a straw bale "house", old logs, a plastic garden chair to sit or perch on, etc in the run to give them something to do, and kept moving things around. An activity centre I suppose you could call it 

[Aunt Sally]

It's not enough space for them to be shut in most of the time, which they will be when the darker evening come along, perhaps 3 hens. 

Try making the environment in the run more exciting with branches to fly up on to and shelves to climb onto with treats on, mixed corn meal worms etc.  That might overcome the lack of space.

Just like CQ has stated

[loretta cluck]

Thanks for the replies....i feel guilty now, and thought i had provided a lovely little set-up for my girls...think i will have to look at extending the run somehow...I cant really go over the top with it, so what size would be more acceptable...I certainly couldnt bring myself to re-home 3 of them.
As things stand now, the run is covered in wood chip, so i normally throw a few mealworms in and then rake it over, so that gives them something to do when unable to free range.  There are 2 perches in the run, which are set at slightly different levels, but not too high.
The girls manage to dust bathe in the run, and also their favourite spot in the garden, when out.
Will start hanging a cabbage in there as well.

[ANHBUC]

Some of the problems you might have is them finding a shady place in hot weather (when we eventually get some).  They can get overheated if they cannot find a shady place to cool down.  You could always put a sun brolly up for them but you would have to place it to give the most shade at midday onwards.

My original 6 hybrids have a 10ft x 13ft walk in run with perches, small table and coop in the middle.  They are happy enough in it but love freeranging during the day.  They do make their own way back to the WIR well before bedtime so they must like it. 

[loretta cluck]

The coop is fitted to the run, but raised to waist height, so the girls have the shade/space under that...I am going to look at extending the run slightly, and have them out as much as possible for now....(or in an ideal world work from home so they can be out all the time - not likely to happen)..I just stupidly thought it would be big enough...  Thanks for all suggestions though.

[Beano]

We made the same error as you. I dont think it's that uncommon a mistake. At least most of us notice almost as soon as we get them that they need more space.  Because of this the run/runs are much more interesting for them. We have a little corridor between the original run and the extension and they scoot around between the two. In the Summer though they'll spend all day in the garden.

[New shoot]

I think lots of people end up with the same problem as the web sites you buy chicken coops and runs off are very over optimistic about how many birds they will hold.

I have a bantie boy and 2 bantie girls in a little coop and run set-up on the law (he fell out big time with his brother in the large run   ).  Sometimes I think, oh poor them they haven't got the room the others have, but they are very happy in there and go back in even when the door is open so they can free-range.  


Offering greens and things to perch on really does enrich their lives, so do what you can with the run extention and don't feel too bad    Mine love an apple cut in half to peck at and go mad for the overgrown courgettes off the plot in the summer as well  

[grinling]

my house area has a covered roof to keep the area dry. The outer run area is closed at the mo as being grassed, so I have a chicken wire outer area held in with canes, wire chest height to stop them flying over. Run door is held open as food and water in covered area. Girls take themselves off to bed and I close outer door.
Fox free area.

[loretta cluck]

Thanks for all the replies, and yes, my coop was bought with a write-up of it being suitable for up to 18 birds.  Discussed with my OH last night, and will be ordering some ready made mesh panels from ebay at the weekend.  The girls were out until 9pm last night, and did occasionally choose to go back into the run for half an hour on the perches, so cant be that horrible in there.
Have left them head-butting a cabbage this morning!
Would another 4 or 6 feet length be acceptable...?

[Aunt Sally]

Try to make it about 2 square metres per bird.