Connecticut! - Page 476

ok i  have a serious problem! yes i just drove an hour to get the silkie eggs and a few silkie chicks to go with the other eggs i already have and the day old baby chicks i already have not to mention the black copper marans chicks i have as well! ohhh lord

Admitting it is the first step.

LOL! so far i havent made it past the 1st step

Hey hey all!

Currently living in Collinsville (Canton) and just starting to do research. I hope you don't mind, I have a lot of questions (and I will google all of them) but if anyone has a chance, I would love some answers/feed back.

I will give you a bit of information on our situation. We currently live in Collinsville (as stated) in a rented home. We plan on looking to buy a home in the next 2 years or so, but we would love to start our little army of chicks sooner! We have no outdoor pets (two handsome and chubby indoor cats) and we have enough yard for a small coop and a run.

I will list my questions and hope for answers while I google some of them!

1.) Coop: We don't want to spend a ton on the first coop. Especially since we will be moving in a year or two and I would like to make a better coop when we get our own house. Are there any suggestions or tricks for building a cheap coop? We are only looking to get 2 - 4 hens.

2.) Chicks: Is there a particular breed that is better for first timers? 

3.) I stated above that we would like to get 2 - 4 hens. What would you guys/girls recommend? Is it better to start off at a lower number and increase over time? I'm not sure how hens will react to chicks and so forth.

4.) Any advice for a first timer? Any books or other resources we should look into?

I think that's all for now. We would love to get chicks sooner rather than later, but the coop is really the biggest unknown right now.

Thanks again!

Scott

my husband built our first coop ended up costing about 150 and it works very well

opens for easy cleaning

and this is it all closed up

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottv 

Hey hey all!

 

Currently living in Collinsville (Canton) and just starting to do research. I hope you don't mind, I have a lot of questions (and I will google all of them) but if anyone has a chance, I would love some answers/feed back.

 

I will give you a bit of information on our situation. We currently live in Collinsville (as stated) in a rented home. We plan on looking to buy a home in the next 2 years or so, but we would love to start our little army of chicks sooner! We have no outdoor pets (two handsome and chubby indoor cats) and we have enough yard for a small coop and a run.

 

I will list my questions and hope for answers while I google some of them!

 

1.) Coop: We don't want to spend a ton on the first coop. Especially since we will be moving in a year or two and I would like to make a better coop when we get our own house. Are there any suggestions or tricks for building a cheap coop? We are only looking to get 2 - 4 hens.

 

2.) Chicks: Is there a particular breed that is better for first timers? 

 

3.) I stated above that we would like to get 2 - 4 hens. What would you guys/girls recommend? Is it better to start off at a lower number and increase over time? I'm not sure how hens will react to chicks and so forth.

 

4.) Any advice for a first timer? Any books or other resources we should look into?

 

I think that's all for now. We would love to get chicks sooner rather than later, but the coop is really the biggest unknown right now.

 

Thanks again!

 

Scott

  You may want to check out the section on chicken tractors, here is the link http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-tractors-mobile-chicken-coop-designs.  Since you are only looking at a few birds, it would be mobile and you could take it with you when you move.  Backyard Chickens is a great resource, you should be able to find tons of good information.  Also mypetchicken.com has a breed selection tool that you might find useful.  Good luck in your chicken adventure!
 

Yes the coop section is so helpful. I would consider the idea of making your coop portable to take with you. Check out my coop (link below). We put wheels on it so it can be moved or even rolled up a ramp onto a truck if we need to. Now that we don't need to move it we popped the wheels off and have it up on blocks, but we can put them back on in minutes if we need to. I'd rather have a small well built built coop than something that might not survive a predator attack. If you make something you can take with you, you can think of it as an investment. (although ours is strong, we did make it on the cheap using allot of leftover materials)

Check out my coop u can take with you

Fuzzy Wunkles asked,

We feed our girls Nutrena brand's  NatureWise® Layer 16% Feed, simply because that's what our local feed store carries (pellets, not crumbles).

I have tossed the idea around a bit, but so far, I have not succumbed to the charm of their cuteness (or even the knowledge that they'd be great for the garden). Most times when I go to Labeniec's feed store in Berlin, they have a rabbit or two available.