3 ms·
I have 12 on a 1/2 acre plot, about 2/3rds of which is backyard they can access (so call it 1/3 acre of roaming). That amount seems more than ample, though thes
by kortex 3y ago
I have 12 on a 1/2 acre plot, about 2/3rds of which is backyard they can access (so call it 1/3 acre of roaming). That amount seems more than ample, though these are pretty bougie chickens. Four in even 1/8 acre should be fine.
- fullstop 3y agoI shall forward your message to my township officials. :-) Seriously, though, I have to abide by the local ordinances.
- hedora 3y agoThe minimum square footage per “cage free” chicken is only 1.5 sq ft, (in California, which passed a ballot initiative to increase it to that number) https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_12,_Farm_Animal_Confinement_Initiative_(2018) https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_12,_Farm_Anim... So, 1/8 acre could hold 3,630 “cage free” chickens, in theory (I am not condoning this). In you don’t need much space to keep chickens happy. However, they produce a lot of dust, and can’t be kept in a house.
- kortex 3y ago> However, they produce a lot of dust This was actually the most surprising thing about first time chicken ownership. I was expecting the poop, I wasn't expecting the dust and the dust bathing. They will pick one or more parts of the yard and crater it and use it for their dust baths, meaning that soil will transport elsewhere and you'll need to replenish the sand. You can kinda suggest where they do it (they prefer overhung spots that don't get rain, so it stays dry and dusty) but like cats and cat beds, they decide where to do it. I intended the under-coop space to be used for this, but they decided they like under my gazebo-tent was preferable.