Backyard Chicken Accommodations

One important area of research you should do before acquiring your first chickens is how big is your coop and run area going to be and how many chickens will that space accommodate. In the city, completely free ranging chickens may be difficult. In Lexington, the ordinance specifically states that all chickens must be contained. You can actually be fined for each time a chicken gets out of the yard. Here, we also have many cats and dogs with some even roaming the neighborhood. We also have a cat of our own. For our chickens safety, we have compromised the free range principle by allowing them plenty of space to roam in an enclosed run that we move around the yard. This keeps potential predators out and them safe from attack.

There are minimum amounts of space requirements to house chickens. Adequate space allows for good sanitation and happy hens. Here are the minimum space requirements as outlined by Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens.

-In the coop, there should be 4 square feet per adult chicken
-there should be one nest box for every 4 chickens
-nest boxes should be 14" wide x 14" high by 12" deep
- 10" per bird of perch space

These numbers are for the enclosed shelter area and assumes your chickens will have an open run area. This is a good starting point for figuring out how many chickens to house in your space.