Sizing an Outdoor Run

Chickens love being outside Give them a run, and they’ll lounge in the shade, scratch for tasty bugs and seeds, gobble delicious sprouts, hunker in the dust and even snatch wayward flies from the air

 

How big should a run be?  There’s no absolute answer  A tiny run is appreciated but the bigger it is relative to flock size the more the birds will enjoy it and the more natural food it will produce

 

Chickens are constant foragers and scratchers  If many birds are crammed into a small run, they’ll soon devour every scrap of green vegetation  Expect a dusty run

Forage or Feed? Nutritional Benefits of Chickens that Forage

There are many benefits to having chickens that are able to forage and don’t rely on just chicken feed Allowing chickens to forage helps reduce your carbon footprint and is great when you want to cut back on your feed costs There are also nutritional benefits for both you and your chickens when you provide them with access to forages
Chicken Nutrition
Before we go any further, let’s talk a little bit about chicken nutrition There are many aspects to nutrition that we need to be concerned with- protein, energy, vitamins and minerals Chickens that are being