Just getting into chickens again

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flewdcoop

flewdcoop

In the Brooder
Jul 1, 2015
51
14
33
Western Arkansas mountains
Hello fellow chicken enthusiast I am just getting back into raising chickens again. I grew up on a farm where we had about 20 banties and white leghorns but I went into construction work and have lived in cities because of my job.
Now that I'm retired we have moved out of town and I now want to keep a small flock ( mostly for eggs & pets). I was researching breeds and coop design when I stumbled in to this web site.
My idea is to have 6 laying hens and a rooster in a mobile run/ coop . The run I have pictured in my mind would be 4'x12'x4' and a coop on top is 6'x4'x4'.
We live in western Arkansas in the Ouachita mountains so the winters are usually mild but the summers are hot & humid.
I would appreciate any tips or heads up.
 
Welcome to BYC!

Sounds great! I hope you enjoy your retirement.
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6 hens may be slightly too few for a rooster, at least of some breeds, especially in a confined area. However, each rooster is an individual.

Best of luck!
 
Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. How far are you from Hot Springs? I was born in Hot Springs and still love that area. :eek:) If you haven't done so already, definitely check out our Learning Center at https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center. There is loads of useful information there. Also, you might want to check out our Coops section at https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coops. Please feel free to ask any specific questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in getting your coop built and in getting your flock.
 
Hi, welcome to BYC!

Cool avatar, I like that drawing.

What breeds are you looking at getting? I've always thought that was one of the best parts of having chickens...comparing breed traits and choosing ones for our mixed flock. If you haven't seen it yet, there is a good article in the Learning Center about picking the chickens to best suit your needs:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...cken-guide-to-picking-backyard-chicken-breeds

Good luck to you, nice to have you here!
 
Major thing to consider is overcrowding. Chickens act out in very bad ways when there are too many sharing a small area. They usually start with feather plucking, bullying and at extremes cannibalism.

Rule of thumb is 4-5 sq.feet per bird in the coop (excluding roosts and nest boxes). In the run they should have 10 sq.feet per bird. Welcome to BYC. You may want to post on your state thread to ask what breeds do best in your hot humid weather, and also type of coop. In some hot areas, one or two walls of the coop are just made of wire so the heat doesn't build up. In cooler weather a solid panel can be placed over the wire.
 
Okay this is why I'm here get advice @ gitabooks
Maybe I would be better off with just the hens for now as we are just renting for now. We have 5 acres we are trying to buy then we can have a permanent coop and let the birds run free range and expand the flock.

@Michael OShay
We are just east of Waldron and yeah 71 south is kind of boring.
The coops section & learning section is what brought me to the site in the first place the forums is why I signed up.



  • @NorthFLChick
  • We really haven't decided on a breed yet ,we're neck deep in research right now because we want to be sure the birds will be ok with the environment we can provide.We have thought that it would be easier to buy pullets and wait till we get the 5 acres to try raising chicks 2 or 3 years down the road.
Thanks for the link https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...cken-guide-to-picking-backyard-chicken-breeds I'll give it a read.



@drumstick diva

Major thing to consider is overcrowding. Chickens act out in very bad ways when there are too many sharing a small area. They usually start with feather plucking, bullying and at extremes cannibalism.

Rule of thumb is 4-5 sq.feet per bird in the coop (excluding roosts and nest boxes). In the run they should have 10 sq.feet per bird. Welcome to BYC. You may want to post on your state thread to ask what breeds do best in your hot humid weather, and also type of coop. In some hot areas, one or two walls of the coop are just made of wire so the heat doesn't build up. In cooler weather a solid panel can be placed over the wire.
  • My coop design has included louvers on 2 sides ( west & east ) operated by proportional thermometers (open and close at 95 degrees F) and roof peak ventilators.
  • To all thanks for the welcome I'm very happy to have found such a good source of knowledge.
 
I like the coop design you have in mind with the louvers self-opening/closing at a specific temperature. You'll definitely have to document your build with photos and share that when you put your plans into action.

Glad you're here, I think you're going to have fun! And good luck getting your 5 acres
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