Chicken runs: how to make sure they suit your flock’s needs.
So, you’ve constructed your chicken coop and ensured it’s equipped with everything a chicken could possibly require. However, have you considered the chicken run?
What is a chicken run and why have one?
Ideally, most of us aspire to let our flock roam freely on our land, allowing them to graze and explore unhindered. However, our unique circumstances often prevent us from realizing this dream.
Not all of us have the luxury of closely supervising our hens while they roam freely, ensuring their safety at all times.
Predators, traffic, and neighbours who oppose their presence in their gardens, coupled with their propensity to ravage our own plants, might all necessitate the enclosure of our chickens in some manner.
However, chickens thrive when they are allowed to roam freely outdoors. Their innate instincts lead them to forage for insects amidst the grass and leaves (occasionally, even frogs in my flock’s case), or to bask in the sun with wings spread wide, or to dig a dust bath beneath their beloved tree.
Here’s a more creative and diverse way to rephrase the given paragraph, while maintaining the same key information and logic:
And this is precisely where the runs come into play. Essentially, a run is a fenced-in area where your flock can freely roam and graze without any danger. And undoubtedly, the more outdoor space you provide for them, the more content and joyful they will be.
How big should chicken runs be?
You may encounter varying figures regarding this matter, but the absolute minimum space requirement for chickens confined in a pen is one square metre (approximately 11 square feet) per bird. For smaller breeds, such as the Silkie, slightly less space can be allocated; whereas for larger breeds, more space should be provided.
However, that’s just the bare bones of it. Ideally, the more expansive the space is for the flock, the better, especially if the coop is compact. Chickens that are cramped for space are susceptible to boredom and/or aggression, which significantly increases the likelihood of unwanted behaviors such as bullying, feather-pecking, and egg-eating.
By providing ample space for birds to indulge in their natural behaviours, we can significantly reduce the likelihood of such occurrences and minimize the potential for diseases to become a problem.
Don’t commercially raised hens have much less space?
Absolutely. Take hens kept in battery cages in the United States for instance; they are allotted a space that is comparable to the dimensions of an A4 sheet of paper.
The European Union has outlawed such cages, insisting that hens must be provided with ample room to nest, perch, and scratch in bedding.
However, the space allocated for chickens in commercial egg production is far from ideal, as none of us would hope for such conditions for our feathered friends. While they may survive, it is heartbreaking to see them endure such hardships.
Create ample space for your hens, ensuring they have ample room to roam and thrive.
Suppose you possess a mere patch of green, a minuscule garden that’s yours to cultivate.
