How much space do Japanese bantams need?

Japanese bantams do not need as much space as bigger chickens. Their small size means they need 2 square foot of indoor space in the coop and 8 square foot per bird in the run.

The Japanese bantam is a good flyer and an active bird that likes to be able to spread its wings so a few perches would not go amiss. Being such a small chicken they need shelter from the elements.

There are some legal minimums that all chickens must have regardless of their size or the reason they are kept.

Legally in the UK and Europe, chickens are entitled to:

• 0.75 square metres of floor space each, just over 8 square foot.
• 45 cm of headroom.
• 15 cm of perch each.
• 1 nest box per 7 hens.
• Access to fresh food and water.
• Areas in which they can indulge in natural behaviours like scratching and dust bathing.
• A suitable coop with adequate lighting and access to the outdoors.
• Good husbandry and regular inspection.

These figures are good basic minimums as far as space for chickens goes.

Can you free range Japanese bantams?

Japanese bantams love to free range and do all the things bigger chickens do.

I free range my Japanese bantams from the beginning of spring to the first autumn storms. They are not good in the cold, wet and damp of winter. 

The exact day I let them out depends on the weather conditions but it is essentially whenever it is dry.

I keep my Japanese bantams free range and they cover as much distance and roam as far as my big hens.

Below: This is one of my Japanese bantam cockerels enjoying free ranging on pasture.

You can see this young cockerel is quite happy with the big hens that are 4 times his size.

My chickens get to roam over nearly 6 acres and the Japanese Bantams are quite happy covering large distances and partake in all the activities of the bigger hens.

The problems with free ranging such small chickens is they fall prey to a much wider range of predators that might not normally take a full size chicken. I have lost one to a sparrowhawk in the past and sparrowhawks would not normally try to eat a full size chicken.

If you have plenty of trees for cover from above, everything should be fine.