GEB Posted September 2, 2008 Share Posted September 2, 2008 Currently I have a run 6 x 17 foot with 3 girls in. Am looking at adding another 6 x 9 foot area so in total it will be 6 x 26 foot. Would like to get a few more chooks next spring, how many do you think I can happily keep in this space? (they are kept in when we are at work and get let out in the evenings and weekends). Also is it ok that my run is a long rectangular area as I notice most peoples are more square? I could rearrange mine if it is better that way? Thanks in advance for any advise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEB Posted September 4, 2008 Author Share Posted September 4, 2008 Bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsallen08 Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 I dont really know tbh. I think as long as they can all run around, jump, perch, play, dustbathe comfortably then thats the main thing. Also I only work in metres so I struggle with feet and inches! Sorry! Our run is 6m by 3m with 3 fully grown hens, 3 14week old chicks and a bantam. This is plenty big enough to 'class as free range' but we are extending it for the winter to make a larger area for them and rabbits together. Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yolky Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 How big is that in metres? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheik Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 6' x 26' is an enormous run! I think you would be amazed (and horrified) if we worked out how many birds a farmer could legally keep in such a space... How many chickens would you like to keep? For example, you could definitely keep at least ten in there with no problems at all. Obviously, if you're not letting them out every day, then the more birds you get the more often you'll have to change the aubiose / flooring material. Also, ten birds or more will have much more potential to trash your garden and make noise . Do you have platforms for the eglus / hen houses and perches to maximise the space? My run is 5' x 11' and I would have no qualms about keeping four full sized birds in there, although this is with 6 hours a day free ranging. If I had your run, my garden and neighbourhood would have more effect than the run size. I'd personally not have any more than six hens, as I think that makes a nice flock and wouldn't be too noisy and destructive. If I had a bigger garden and distant neighbours I'd get perhaps eight (or maybe ten ) By the way, I think most runs are rectangular. /\dam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheik Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 This is plenty big enough to 'class as free range' Actually I don't think that is necessarily true, but it's quite interesting as I think lots of us like to think we can class our chickens as free-range, but they might not be. There are a few criteria to classify as free-range in the EU, and I think you'd have to have a turfed floor in the run to qualify which wouldn't be very practical: From WikiPedia: "the open-air runs to which hens have (continuous) access is mainly covered with vegetation" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_range) So, for my chickens for example, they get let out onto the lawn for 6 hours a day, but still get shut in their aubiose-covered run at various points, so technically I couldn't call their eggs free-range just on that point alone. /\dam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsallen08 Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 Thanks for that Sheikh. The UK guidelines are miles behind the EU standards. I didn't realise that the space cannot be used for anything else either. So if someone has an orchard which the hens free range in according to the EU this will not count! Just shows what people think Free Range is and what the guidelines are! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
