Murray McMurray's Best Egg Layers

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Chicks Available Now Our Best Egg Layers Dust Baths How much space do my chickens need? April 2, 2015 Today's newsletter tells about our best egg laying chickens. It also refers to an article about dust baths and gives advice on how much space to give your chickens. If you have other questions about raising poultry or suggestions for future articles, please email them to us by replying to this newsletter. Our Best Egg Layers With so many different breeds of chickens, sometimes the choice of which chicken to get can be difficult. In this article, we'll briefly discuss five of our best egg laying chickens. To read the full article, click the button below: Read the full article >>> Dust Baths At first glance, it may seem something is wrong with this rooster, but this is normal behavior -- he's taking a dust bath. To learn more about why chickens take dust baths, click the button below: Read the full article >>> FAQ: How much space do my chickens need? Giving your chickens plenty of room is important because it helps prevent disease, pecking and other problems. The amount of space they'll need depends on the size of your chickens. Heavy Breeds For heavy breeds, like Barred Rocks or Buff Orpingtons, if your chickens are only confined to the coop at night and allowed to forage during the day, we recommend using a coop that provides at least 4 square feet per bird. A 6 foot by 8 foot coop would provide 48 square feet, which is ample space for 12 birds. For heavy breeds that are confined to a coop or a coop with a run, we recommend that you provide at least 10 square feet per bird. Light Breeds For light breeds, like the Pearl White Leghorn, if the birds are allowed outside to forage during the day, we recommend providing at least 3 square feet per bird for the coop in which they are housed at night. A 6 foot by 8 foot coop (48 square feet) would provide housing for up to 16 birds. If your chickens are confined to the coop or coop and run, we recommend providing at least 7 1/2 square feet per bird. Bantams Bantams are smaller than standard breeds and require less space. This is one reason they are popular in backyard flocks. If your bantams are able to forage outside the coop during the day, we recommend at least 2 square feet per bird. A 4 foot by 4 foot coop would provide space for 8 bantams. If you keep them confined to the coop or a coop and run, we recommend giving them at least 5 square feet per bird. For answers to other frequently asked questions, see theFAQ on our website. Baby Chicks Waterfowl Equipment Health Books & More This message was addressed to sashakanno@mac.com from McMurray Hatchery | P.O. Box 458 | Webster City, IA 50595 To unsubscribe, visit our newsletter page or reply to this email with "remove" as the subject.