Solitary chicken - need advice

[Kentwitch]

Our wir is near completion and the is being delivered on the 24th October

The run will be 16x8x6. As we are new to this omlet have suggested we get three chickens but we would like four.

What would you suggest?

[debbier]

That run is certainly more than big enough for four, so with a cube you should be fine. I'd have thought that , with that space, you'd not notice any difference in terms of the effort etc. between 3 and 4.

[sparkysmum]

I think the minimum requirements are 1sq. metre / hen so you have bags of room for 4. Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Allison

[Space Chick]

You'll be pleased to hear by my calculations you will have enough WIR room for 12!!

 

You will have 128 square feet. They should have 10 square feet each (which is equiv to a square metre)

 

The cube will take 10, so realistically you could have 10.

 

However, if you are not planning to let them free-range at all then I would say half the number which the WIR will hold which would be 6.

 

Therefore, no probs at all with 4, I started with 4 and now have 10

 

I can virtually guarantee that you will want more, its Omlet chicken maths

[chick wiggle]

With a cube and a run that size, I'd put money on you having at least 10 by next summer

[coco]

I have three smallish chools in a run 12 fot by 8 foot although they do have a bigger fenced off area when I am home. I would like to get more but think I will wait till the spring when Hubby has said he will fence of the bigger area properly [use Omlet netting and do lots of checks on them at moment]

[Kentwitch]

Thanks for all your help. I will be contacting Omlet to ask for four chickens.

I was wondering if this is the wrong time to get them with winter approaching, but can't wait until next year.

[Rhesus]

I reckon you get them in before winter sets in. Still autumn to get going and the rangers and pepperpots are fairly hardy so should settle quite quickly. I started with 3 and within a week had 5. All settled together now, even though I was worried at first with the intros.

 

Enjoy..its fab

 

Doris

Hilda

Marjorie

Grace

Elsie

[Chook n Boo Mum]

I wouldn't worry too much about getting healthy chooks now-ish...my batties arrived in various states of oven-readiness on the last day of January, just as the snow arrived and they were fine

 

Good luck and I guarantee you will want more very very soon

 

Sha x

[Dawno]

 

 

Like you as was unsure how many chickens to start with, well we came home with 6 !, my OH has built me a covered run 4.8m X 3.6 m which they will be in tommorow, I have the cube with the extended run which has been ok since Monday but not enough room long term. cant see how it could be a problem to have 4....didnt think that I would come home with6...

[alih]

My run is 12x8 ft and I have 5 chickens in there pretty much all the time - if you count 20sq feet per chicken you should be about right.

 

As for getting them now - I got my first chickens in November and although waiting for the eggs takes a bit longer because of the time of year they settled in well and i couldn't have waited any longer to get them = go for it!

Edited September 25, 2009 by Guest

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I got my first girls in September. Two of them were laying well before Christmas .

[quickcluck]

I started off with 6 and now have 10!!!

 

You'll definately want more in the future, but it depends on whether you'll have facilities for extra accomodation for intros if you get more....

 

If that's going to be tricky get what you think you can handle...... My orginal 6 were all different colours so I could tell them apart