What size chicken run do I need?

This all really depends on how you feel regarding your chickens.

In an ideal world you would be able to give your chickens unlimited space and we understand the idea of a flock of hens free roaming in your garden is a charming idea, but in practise there can often be several issues that will mean both you and them will be better with a permanent area dedicated to the chickens.

* Chickens will eat your flowers
* Chickens will defecate on paths or stone patios
* Chickens will dig holes within your garden

We would always recommend a 3 square meters of open top run. In a covered chicken run this can always be reduced to approximately 1 meter as the roof allows everything to remain dry and inadvertently makes managing your chickens a lot easier.

The deep litter method of poultry is often prefered as it requires a minimal amount of effort and work and works incredibly well in covering chicken runs. You need to provide allowance of a little additional space per chicken. The chicken run should be able to accommodate a thick layer of shaving of litter, many chicken runs can be supplied with an additional 12″ thick base plinth for this or you can alternatively build you own raised up base.

The quality of a chicken coop is certainly important. The more you pay, the better quality you can expected, especially with wooden style chicken coops where the wood costs are often the main ingredient. Better quality chicken coops are commonly made of pressure treated, solid 12mm groove and tongue boards that can interlock with one another. Please note, thin boards can often mean weak doors if you are not mindful that can commonly be a problem if you have a very determined fox.

Nest Boxes

If you purchase a chicken house then it traditional should come fitted with chicken nest boxes. These are commonly found in the sides of wooden chicken coop with a heavy weight lid that can be lifted up to collect your eggs. Be mindful that foxes are commonly quite smart and can often lift these heavy lids so it’s best advised to have a latch on the lid.

Garden sheds can also be converted into chicken coops. Nest boxes can be added within the inside of the shed simply, as there is often plenty of room. You can also build your own nest boxes out of sturdy wood but another alternative solution is to purchase some nest boxes.

Chicken Runs

A chicken run is most commonly the most expensive thing you will need to purchase for your flock of chickens.  In order to come up with a suitably sized run, you will need to consider the following:

How many chickens will I have?

Always assume you will take on a couple more chickens than first considered. This is because it’s certainly a very addictive hobby and you will more than likely to be soon tempted to add a couple more birds to your flock. Guaranteed!

Purchasing a Chicken Run

Small chicken runs can often protection to your flock and provide them with plenty of space and fresh air that they require daily. Most chicken runs that you can fit onto a chicken coop can often be rather small. There is an answer to this however.

The down side regarding runs is that they allow your chickens to spoil your garden over time with their scratching and timely dust baths. They’ll also eat some of your plants and will occasionally leave droppings on footpaths. The good news is your chickens will be happy and free range and will be incredibly happier and healthier chickens, then being caged up. You can enjoy having them out in the open and can also limit their time out to allow the garden to recover from time to time. It’s also an idea to perhaps fence them off to a certain party of the garden which can also help.