How do I prepare this area for housing chickens?
by
Karen
+3
Wondering how large of chicken coop for a dozen chickens? How large of area to fence in around coop? And if soft pine needles are good flooring for chickens?
a 6x8 coop would be big enough for 12 chickens. give the chickens at least a 12x 15 area to scratch around. excluding the coop.
Hi. Chickens need sunshine to lay. They also like to scratch in the dirt to get insects and explore. Crowding them causes undo stress. So free range as much as possible. The coop can be, however, 3 sqft per hen. And they like a clean area. Make sure your chicken coop is easy to clean, as well as their pen area; it's not for the faint of heart (or smell or anything else).
Pine needles are fine but you will want to change them periodically. My fave is sand as you just rake it around and don't need to change it out like pine needles or wood chips.
Great answers....very helpful.
Check out backyard chicken forum
Rake clear area up