Chickens: Can I give the girls a happy home, or would they be super sad?

[ZippyGirl]

My husband and I are planning to set up our backyard as a mini-homestead.  We'd like to put in some fruit trees, raised vegetable beds, maybe a few beehives, and chickens.  We don't have a ton of space, though.  The yard is very small, with the entire lot (which also has the house, patios, etc.) being less than 1/6 acre.  We live in a densely populated area of New England.

We were thinking of getting four hens with a coop that measures 5' x 3' and a run that provides 88.5 square feet of space.  Here is the coop that we had in mind:  http://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog/Chicken-Coops/The-Alexandria-Extended-8-chickens-p813.aspx

Given the size of our yard and our desire for vegetable beds, etc., we would need to keep the coop stationary (i.e., not move it around the yard).  We could let the hens run around the backyard a bit (as long as we can secure the backyard really, really well), but the coop and run would be their main living space.

How would the girls do in this type of set-up?  Would they be happy?  What problems might we encounter if the hens live in one space?  Does anyone raise chickens in this kind of setting, or should I accept that raising chickens in my yard might not be a good idea?

Thanks!

[mattemma04]

Boredom could lead to feather picking and pecking in general.Could use sand as a run base and clean often.There is a family in CA that has a homestead on a small lot with gardens,hens,and goats.

http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/

You can let the hens run around in the afternoon.In the fall and spring let them till your gardens.When growing just fence them out with cheap plastic fencing.

 I think they would be fine. Try it and make adjustments as needed.

Enjoy your homestead!

[diana_of_the_dunes]

Whether or not that set-up would work depends on the number of chickens you are planning on keeping.  If you are planning on 8 hens (the number the coop is supposed to be designed for), I would want more space in the run.  The "official" standard seems to be 10 sq ft of space per bird, but that seems really small to me.  My coop/run is 12' x 6', and if I wasn't free-ranging my birds, I'd have made it bigger.  They tore up the grass inside in about 3 days when they were still too small to let run.  If you can secure your backyard, I really think that's the way to go.  Even letting them out for a few hours per day would keep their boredom to a minimum and probably prevent them from squabbling.

Your climate is also a consideration. Will they be stuck in the coop during a long, snowy winter?  If so, you might want to put plastic sheeting over the run to allow them more space during those months.  My chickens won't go out in more than an inch of snow...  If your winters are mild, you could get by with a smaller coop and larger run.  You can also provide "toys" to keep them occupied.  I remember reading about a woman who hung a cabbage from a chain inside her coop to give the girls some entertainment/fresh food.  

Good luck!

[nigellas]

I think that is a fine set up for 4 hens.  :)