Selfsufficientish.com

Is this type of hutch approx 4ftx2ftx2ft ok for keeping 2 bantams in, if I were to make a ramp and a run? The plan would be to let them be freerange as much as possible but. Would you keep the "bedding" side as the nest box and knock up a cover for half of the "open side" and add a perch? or did I hear right that bantams dont need perches?

Rob

It seems kind of small to me. We have three bantams, and though they are smaller, they are more active than the larger hens. And they do perch at night. As a nest box the rabbit hutch should be OK, but I think they'd need a little more room in the vertical for a perch.

I use rabbit hutches as temporary pens for hens with chicks, and don't let them out for about 4-6 weeks. Otherwise they free range, as it really is too small a space for permanent living. If they were able to get out at will, it would make an ideal overnight house and laying area, but not for long-term hours spent in it. They would probably start picking each other out of boredom in such a small space.

Cheers
Andrea
NZ

Sorry but it looks far too small to me. I feel the idea of keeping your own poultry is to provide them with superior accommodation/life to their caged relatives.

It's ok the problem has been solved, we were just going to use the hutch as overnight nesting space with them being free range the rest of the time, but i stumbled across a poor little bunny wabbit, how needed a good home so the hutch got used, so now instead of Bantams in the garden and chicks on the allotment when we get it we now appear to have 4 lovely big hens wandering round our garden and a brand new coop, with only two conditions, the boys don't play football in the garden (has the added bonus that they stop kicking it at the fruit trees) and if they stick to that we wont eat Kelly or Doreen (their hens and their deal breaker for the football condition!)

Sarahx