We currently have 38 chickens in our flock three of which are bantams and are very small (think fat pigeons) and nine which are this years’ juvies (and at least two of those are roosters which will be moved out soon.) We do not have any giants in our flock. Some people question if we have enough space needed for all our chickens (and of course with my post yesterday mentioning that we’re going to close off 4 square feet of the pen, it means even less floor space available to the girls.)
But I’m not worried and here’s why.
Chickens are roosting birds. From the time they are bitty babies, they like nothing better than to roost on a stick or even an outstretched finger.
We have several indoor and outdoor roosting bars (which is really just a fancy name for wooden dowels.) some running from wall to wall and others free standing. At any time, you’ll find nearly half of the flock either in the nesting boxes or standing on a roosting bar. Once one hops down, another will take it’s place. In fact, I have never gone out to the henhouse and NOT seen birds on the roosts, it’s just kind of what they do. Chickens feel comfortable when they are up high, they feel safe and of course, there is the added advantage that their feet stay dry, something you want to encourage to avoid freezing in the winter and fungal growth in the warmer months.
All of this roosting results in plenty of available floor space where those who choose to can play and exercise (all food and water is on the ground level.)
Between the indoor henhouse floor, the outdoor penned-in yard, and all the roosting bars, we have found that, for *our* henhouse, a top number of 40 birds (of varying sizes) is what we can comfortably keep. It might sound like a lot, but I assure you, all in our flock are comfortable and well exercised.
So when you are figuring out what sort of hen house to use for your chickens (and if you are thinking about chickens next spring – which you should get – now is the time to start the planning) make sure you include plenty of indoor and outdoor roosting bars in the design. They don’t have to be fancy, an old broom handle works, and even a strong branch is fine, just make sure that your flock has a way to get up off the floor when the spirit moves them.
