Author Topic: Winter housing for 7 large fowl chickens (Read 2885 times)

Stereo · « **on:** January 12, 2015, 10:18:12 am »

Having gone through several winters with the hens now, I have decided that they would be better off with more shelter over winter so I'm considering building a row of breeding houses with covered pens in front and deep litter in both house and pen. Plus a gravel path along the front, also under cover for human access. I was thinking of something like 8' x 8' for the run and for the birds to be in there from the end of October to the end of Feb depending on the weather. Then they go back out into the field pens which are 10m2 per bird. Does that sound enough for 6 hens and a cockerel? At the end of the day, most days they are just in the house or hunched up under shelters during these months anyway and you end up with a mud bath around the house which can't be good for them (or me). Would also be much easier with freezing drinkers and stuff like that.

vfr400boy · « **Reply #1 on:** January 12, 2015, 10:26:46 am »

Sounds spot on

HesterF · « **Reply #2 on:** January 12, 2015, 11:56:40 am »

Sounds like the arrangement I've seen at a couple of the big breeders and the chickens seemed happy! Only thing is whether you could make it a bit bigger than 8ftx8ft. LF clearly vary but that's less than 1m2 per bird which would be small for my guys. We have two mini-lop bunnies in a 3mx3m run and if I try and picture seven of my hens in there, it'd be very crowded.

H

Victorian Farmer · « **Reply #3 on:** January 12, 2015, 01:13:03 pm »

This is a 28 foot by 8 for 10 hens solare light which comes on 3.30 all 4 pens have a 20ft by 20 ft block shed whith 14 kw wood burner .I open the stable doore and heat will keep water and hens ok .I' built this to start breeding around christmas .The brooder is in the block shed just bolt them together .incubaters are in there as well.

Stereo · « **Reply #4 on:** January 12, 2015, 03:51:19 pm »

It seems small to me but bigger than some set ups I have seen. Today, 55 of my birds have spent the whole day in a 12 x 8 house, quite happy scratching around in the wood shavings while they have 10m2 each outside. So many winter days you see them grouped up under a shelter, I just wonder for the really bad months (especially jan / feb) whether they might be happier in a smaller but sheltered space. I know on a bad day I would rather be in my house by the fire than staggering about in a field of wet mud. Maybe the same thing goes for chickens?

Perhaps you could also have an outside run which they only get let out into on fine days so it doesn't just turn to mud?