# How much space?



## daved (Jun 19, 2012)

I'm on about an acre. It's actually a little less. How much space does a coop and grazing space take up? How long will that area sustain them?


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## Apyl (Jun 20, 2012)

The coop and grazing space can be as large as you want or as small as 3 sq ft per chicken in the coop or 10 sq ft in the run ( of course these are just minimal ideal guidlines I have seen online). You'll still need offer feed to privide nutriton to the chickens even with grazing.


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## jjwilson72000 (Jun 21, 2012)

I have an acre and a half and have 22 chickens and 5 ducks free ranging on it. They have a coop which is probably 8 X 15, with a run that is 15 X 20ish? They are not confined to it though and can range the whole property. I could probably add a few more chickens but the coop that size is crowded at night and for storms. Grazing wise I could probably get away with 50 if I wanted to.


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## Diane (Jun 20, 2012)

I have 9 babies, my coop area is inside my shed, their area is 4 x 12, the outside run area is 12 x 20.. My chicks haven't gone outside yet, they are 2.5 weeks old, but am already wishing I made my inside area larger,,just 'because" 
Diane


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## ORChicknlady (Jun 20, 2012)

We live on a total 9 acre property, but, only 3 acres is used by us. You know it sounds like so little, but it is not. About 1 acre is on a steep sloping part of the back pasture, with trees and underbrush, and potential for place for predators such as our local ravaging coyotes to hide, so we took some fencing an fenced behind the barn, and our current 18 chicken flock has about 1 acre to roam of their own, all fenced in away from our plot of 1 acre (I don't want chicken doo in my outdoor area). It is a lot, they can happily spread out and will never be able to undo all that pasture and make it muddy and unsuitable, plus I know I can easily add plenty more layers if I wanted and still be ok. 

They also love it if I let the grass get long, they go along and run their closed beaks on the stalk and gather the seeds. However, I have feeders set up inside with plenty of egg layer ration, and also they get veggie leftovers (including baked potato skins), leftover rice, wilted salads, dried up bread (not moldy), stale grain cereals, leftover cooked oatmeal....we have little kitchen waste and this helps them have a good healthy diet and lots of good eggs.

Be sure you give them some oysters shell for calcium (super cheap in 50# bags at feed stores), they need it to have strong egg shells and it also prolongs their egg laying years. You just spread some out on the ground (about 5#) and they'll know what to do with it.


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## Roslyn (Jun 21, 2012)

I remember seeing a diagram in a book that had a chicken coop surrounded by a run, coop in the center, that had the run separated into four sections. One door for each side of the coop and you let the chickens out into a different section of the run to keep it from being beaten down.

It kind of looked like this book cover, but the run area was sectioned.

It would be a good idea to range chickens on pasture, but since they are moved the pasture would have a chance to recover between uses.


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## Keith (Jun 19, 2012)

So long as you are zoned to have chickens 1 acre is fine. I know people who raise them on much smaller plots in town.


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## ORChicknlady (Jun 20, 2012)

I can see the practicallity of the switching of the pastured areas, and more so if you have a large flock, chickens can make an area desolate in no time flat. Right in front of the barn, where the door is that leads to the feeders and waterers, they have cleaned out the landscape of any plants. The good thing about this is they are bringing it down to the level of the door again, the prior user, a woman with ponies, the horses had pounded it all around and buried the door, we had to dig it out. The chickens have almost completely undone the rest of the mess down to the original ground level in only a couple of months.

Yeah chickens can pick an area cleaner and faster than sheep I think.


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## Catfish (Jun 27, 2012)

Diane said:


> I have 9 babies, my coop area is inside my shed, their area is 4 x 12, the outside run area is 12 x 20.. My chicks haven't gone outside yet, they are 2.5 weeks old, but am already wishing I made my inside area larger,,just 'because"
> Diane


Once they get their feathers you can move them outside to control the smell 
and they will be fine in the Summer without added heat, they'll flock together 
and keep each other warm on the cooler nights.


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## leirob007 (Jul 2, 2012)

Do not forget a bag of hydrated lime works wonders for odor control also


Catfish said:


> Once they get their feathers you can move them outside to control the smell
> and they will be fine in the Summer without added heat, they'll flock together
> and keep each other warm on the cooler nights.


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## chickenfarmer (Jun 25, 2012)

Will the lime harm the chickens? Can you place in the coop?


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