Newbie

I am new here and new to the taking care of chickens. I am not sure if it better to build or buy a coop. Which chickens are better for eggs and friendly. I have so many questions....

Welcome to BYC. As far as the coop, it depends upon how handy you are and how much free time you have. Planning and building your own coop provides one made to your particular needs/specifications. Go to the 'Raising backyard chickens' forum and click on the run building section to get ideas. Study the forums, question away, plan and you will be set to go. Good luck.

Greetings from Kansas, eking and . Great to have you here. Your questions are not easy to answer without first knowing a few things. A lot of background knowledge can be found here https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center
To your questions...in my opinion it seems like most coops you find in farm and ranch style chores are too small (unless you are only talking 4 birds or fewer), too flimsy (predators love chicken), and too pricey.
So, in terms of coops there are lots of designs here https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coops if you want to build your own.
As to breeds...again there are so many options. Some breeds certainly lay better than others. But are you looking for white eggs? Brown? Green or blue? Then there's temperament. Some breeds may lay very well be but are jumpy by nature. Choices abound. Again, familiarize yourself with the Learning Center as it will answer many questions. Post questions whenever you need. I wish you all the best in your chicken endeavors! e

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

Hi and welcome to BYC! You already have some great advice, so I just wanted to say thanks for joining us!

When looking at coops find the dimensions of the inside flooring, deduct any area taken up by nest boxes, feeders, waterers, etc.,. Then divide that number by 4. That will give you a much more realistic "capacity" than what is probably stated in the advertisement or the box.

How many chickens are you figuring on keeping? Do you have a budget in mind?....we're all good at helping other folks spend their money.


Unless you are limited with a very small backyard I would recommend a 4x8 size coop (or bigger) A 4x8 coop can theoretically handle 8 chickens, but six would do even better in it. Will you be adding a run to the coop or will they be free-ranging? Somewhere secure for them to be outside is always good.

Most of your large fowl, heritage breeds would be good. Australorps, Welsummers, Barred Rocks, etc., all come to mind. There are both angels and little devils in all breeds, though.

Spend time each day with your chickens, holding them, giving them little treats (very small amounts of treats), letting them *want* to come to you when they're young....they'll not be afraid of you when they're older....unless you happen to receive a psychopath in your chicks.<grin>

Best wishes,
Ed

eking said:

I am new here and new to the taking care of chickens. I am not sure if it better to build or buy a coop. Which chickens are better for eggs and friendly. I have so many questions....

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Google "chicken breed comparison chart" and look at those to eliminate that don't fit into your plans (broody hens vs non-broody, free range vs confined, temperament, etc.) That's what we did ... we printed off the chart, crossed off the breeds that had traits we didn't want, put a star by ones that sounded good ... and took that list with us when we went to purchase from local feed stores. Then when we got there, knew which ones to choose from.

Building your own coop is always best, providing you research it first (recommended space per bird is 4 SF in the coop, and 10 SF in the run). Ventilation is really important as in type of screen you will be using. Like the others said, lots of info on all that here on this website.

How many chickens are you planning on getting, and is it for egg, meat, or both? Also, don't forget about chicken math!

Glad you joined the BYC flock.

Intheswamp said:

When looking at coops find the dimensions of the inside flooring, deduct any area taken up by nest boxes, feeders, waterers, etc.,. Then divide that number by 4. That will give you a much more realistic "capacity" than what is probably stated in the advertisement or the box. How many chickens are you figuring on keeping? Do you have a budget in mind?....we're all good at helping other folks spend their money. Unless you are limited with a very small backyard I would recommend a 4x8 size coop (or bigger) A 4x8 coop can theoretically handle 8 chickens, but six would do even better in it. Will you be adding a run to the coop or will they be free-ranging? Somewhere secure for them to be outside is always good. Most of your large fowl, heritage breeds would be good. Australorps, Welsummers, Barred Rocks, etc., all come to mind. There are both angels and little devils in all breeds, though. Spend time each day with your chickens, holding them, giving them little treats (very small amounts of treats), letting them *want* to come to you when they're young....they'll not be afraid of you when they're older....unless you happen to receive a psychopath in your chicks. Best wishes, Ed

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I'm thinking about starting out with 4. I would love a run so they can be can be safe while I'm at work. Thank you for the advice. I seem to get overwhelmed with all the information there is. I would love to have them just for eggs, but my husband wants them for meat too