What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[ValerieR]

Hiya

I am sure you are all bored hearing about my serama/pekin dilemma!

 

Well I have decided - to return Sheila the serama to the breeder which leaves me with 2 POL pekin bantams.

 

Have marked out a spot for a WIR to be constructed within the next couple of weeks - it will be in an existing walled corner of the garden (the least windy corner) so we only have to add on two walls (and a roof) if you know what I mean. It will be 9ft by 13ft by 6.5ft tall.

 

SO - question is - what to get to put with the 2 pekins? They are real characters so I would like to keep them. I would also like some eggs! (None yet and I understand they are broody and don't lay a huge number anyway)

 

More bantams? Big girls?

 

Can FR them 3 days a week and evenings in decent weather. Grassy area about 30ft by 70ft.

 

I would love your thoughts and advice.

Val

[Redwing]

When Pekins arent broody they do lay really well, three of my five girls have laid every day this week, there are eggs on every surface in my kitchen and the dog cant eat them fast enough

 

Wyandotte, Orpington and marans bantams are all very nice

 

Sussex and Rhode Island Red bantams are probably the most prolific layers

 

Araucana bantams will lay you blue egg. The rarer Shetland bantam lays blue or green eggs

 

Of course more Pekins are an option - they come in all sorts of colours and patterns

 

Avoid Silkies, Polands and Sultans - these will not cope very well in wet, cold and windy weather

 

Regarding size - normally the amount of bantams you can have depends on the size of run - in your case I think it would probably depend on the size of coop! If your coop is big enough I'd probably have about 8 bantams in that space

 

Yes there is a maximum you CAN have depending on minimum square meterage per bird but thats all theory, its more important to decide what will be happy in the space and work from that adding more later if its all working well

[ValerieR]

Thanks Tasha. I have an eglu classic - how many bantams would sleep happily in that do you think?

I will avoid the breeds that cant stand the weather here!

[Redwing]

With your two pekins you could probably fit three more in

 

If you go for larger bantams i'd say two more

[ValerieR]

Thanks Tasha. Shopping list sorted!