Chickens are very rewarding to care for Dry Draft Free Housing is a must for all poultry.

MINIMUM INSIDE / OVERNIGHT accommodation sizes need to be approximately 1 1/2 sq ft PER BIRD therefore,

A 10 x 8 ft (80 sq.ft) shed will accommodate around 50 chickens 

A 8 x 6 (48 sq.ft) shed will accommodate 30-35 chickens

A 8 x 4 ft (32 sq.ft) shed will accommodate 20-25 chickens 

A 7 x 5 ft (35 sq.ft) shed will accommodate 20-25 chickens 

A 6 x 4 ft (24 sq.ft) shed will accommodate 12-15 chickens

A 4 x 2 ft (8 sq.ft) house will accommodate 4-6 chickens

MINIMUM HEIGHT permitted is 2ft  with a roosting perch 1ft from the ground.

MINIMUM OUTSIDE accommodation size is 2 sq ft per bird; if this is a garden or paddock it will be fine however, if it is a chicken arc or coop take the measurements and calculate how many hens it will be suitable for (e.g. a 4 x 2 ft arc = 8 which can accommodate 4 hens).

 Plastic or Wooden housing is equally suitable for housing Silkies & Pekin Bantams they both have benefits,plastic is very easy to clean. 

Remember a moveable house & run will need moving onto fresh grass on a regular basis. 

If you plan on having a permanent run for your chickens it is a good idea to put it on a good deep layer of either Wood Chips,Rubber Chips or Gravel.Rubber Chips & Gravel can be washed down with a chicken friendly disinfectant & Wood Chips can be topped up as required & changed completly every once in a while.

A fixed run can soon turn into a muddy smelly mess which is not nice for your birds or you.If you can put a roof on too this helps to keep the floor dry & shelter your birds.We use the Wood Chips in all our fixed runs which our local tree surgeon delivers for us

All our runs are covered,even a cheap tarpaulin makes a good inexpensive run cover.