[wendyg]

I am going to pick up some hybrid hens today, but not too sure whether to get 4 or 5 for our set-up.  We have a coop with attached run (off of ebay, (yes I know, but it was a good price), sitting inside a 12 ft by 12 ft run.  The large run has a weldmesh roof, and we have attached a weld mesh skirt.  The coop (sleeping quarters) itself measures 31 x 37 inches and has 2 perches each 30 inches long.  Will 5 birds be a bit of a squash?  We are hoping to get a bluebell type, Rhode Rock, Copper Black, Coucou and a Sussex or Coral Nick.

Wendy

[Tigerwren]

Fab Wendyg, I bet you are excited!!!! You didn't say whether your girls will be in the run all of the time or whether they might free range?  In previous posts it has been mentioned that each bird needs about 12ins of roosting space each and about 1 square metre each for the run, although if they are in there all of the time, they will probably need more than that.  Chickens like as much space as you  can give them really.  Good luck!

[Kleftiwallah]

 It really depends on how many you are expecting for dinner !  Where's me coat.    Cheers,   Tony.

[Casey76]

Odd numbers are better than even numbers

[wendyg]

The chickens will be on my allotment, so they won't be able to free-range (no fencing between each plot).  But I do hope to eventually make a temporary pen with metal posts and plastic netting, so they can have a furtile in any newly dug soil.  Unfortunately I can't let them loose on the weedy areas as there is a large amount of creeping buttercup which I think is poisonous to poultry.  My biggest worry is the size of their actual sleeping quarters, there are 2 nest boxes so that is enough.

[Bev]

Hi, A couple of thoughts that I had when choosing my chickens...

I saw Bill Oddy on the tv talking about chickens in the wild, he said they live in twos or threes. Hence I decided on 3. When you first get them they will lay loads of eggs, they may lay every day, can you use 35 eggs a week?

As they get older they lay less. Mine are now 2 1/2 years old and I only get 1 egg each day if that. I am thinking of adding in another pair soon and therefore staggering my old and new hens. Not sure how much fighting this will cause but they seem fairly docile to me so don't foresee too much trouble.

My veg beds are sooo much more bug free since letting them loose on them! Hope you enjoy them!

Bev

[Tigerwren]

Two nest boxes will be fine, I have one between four and they are happy as larry

[wendyg]

Well, we picked up the chickens, 5 of them, a bluebell type, a coucou, a copper black, a sussex and a pied suffolk and they have enough room in both the coop and run.  The bluebell and the copper black are about 25 weeks old and the others about 21 weeks old, the younger ones were a bit reluctant to come out of the coop at first.  When we went to lock up, 4 had gone into the coop and one was on the coop roof, but managed to put her in the coop.  3 ended up on one of the  perches, one on the floor and one in a nest box, I left  them where they were as this is their first night.  I now need to name them.

Wendy