- Mar 12, 2015
- 35
- 28
- 109
Ok so my wife and I.......Well mostly me have been wanting chickens for quite some time. We live in rural Kentucky on about 1.5 acres with 1 acre being completely fenced by 4ft chain link fence. So on the 20th of February I placed my order from Murray Mcmurray hatchery and it consisted of:
BARRED ROCK Males 1 Std
NEHP NEW HAMPSHIRES Females 6
BARP BARRED ROCK Females 6
CXRP JUMBO CORNISH X ROCK Females 2
CGHP CORNISH GAME HENS Pullets 3
RCBC ROSE COMB BROWN LEG. Males 1
RCBP ROSE COMB BROWN LEG. Females 5
NEHC NEW HAMPSHIRES Males 1
FRCS Free Rare Exotic Chick 1
I wanted to try a mix of chickens for egg production and also have always wanted to try the Cornish X and game hens for their quick turnover from chick to freezer. My order was due to be shipped on sat. Feb 28th and to be Here the following Monday March 3rd. I called the post office Friday to inform them that they would arrive and to call me as soon as they arrive. It turned out to be a very cold weekend and was worried about the condion my chicks would be in when they arrived. I got the call at 6am monday morning saying my chicks arrived so I hurried out the door to get them. When the lady at the post office handed me the box I was worried because I heard nothing but after a few minutes of moving around the peeping began ( must have been sleeping well).
Mission Success! Riding home.
I do not plan on keeping all of these Chickens I will have them all for about 8wks then some go to the the freezer and a few egg layers go to a friend of mine. I plan on keeping about 10 or 12 hens and a rooster.
I had the Brooder ready the night before warmed up for their arrival.
Had 2 lamps because of the brooder is in a unheated outbuilding and was giving 0 and below temps in the next couple days.
Here is what I wound up with.
Brooder is a full sheet of 3/4" plywood with 2ft walls around it on a pair of saw horses. I had part of it Blocked off for the first week to keep them close to the heat.
Got them all home dunked there beaks in water and had to leave to go to school so I didn't get to stock around long and watch them.
got back from school about 1 pm and found one dead
don't know but figured it just had a rough trip.
all went well for the next couple days and they seemed to be happy and eating like crazy. Had to clean a
few pasty butts here and there but not too bad. about 4 nights in the them got down to and -2 and I had 2 heat lamps
and a space heater running and they seemed to be warm but I wound up losing another one. I was a Cornish X.
Eating, drinking, and pooping!
Time to start building on the coop!
I decided on 4x8 since that is the size of 1 sheet of plywood and would build off of that.
My wife and I are both full time college students so budget was priority!
I used alot of Cull lumber, and pallets. Roofing metal was $6 from a local scrap yard and I had to patch a
few screw holes in it. The downside is the weather has been awful with snow and rain so I have to build coop
in front of my garage the take it apart and carry around garage to side of building because my yard is a swamp due to weather
lol.
The Begining
The worst thing about pallet wood is it is VERY hard oak so I had to predrill everything...even the screws.
Got the framing done and took apart to move. Thanks to my wife for helping move and assemble it!
Got it set in place assembled now just got to put on siding cut a few doors, paint, and build a run.
Will get there eventually and will update as soon as the weather breaks.
Thanks for Reading
BARRED ROCK Males 1 Std
NEHP NEW HAMPSHIRES Females 6
BARP BARRED ROCK Females 6
CXRP JUMBO CORNISH X ROCK Females 2
CGHP CORNISH GAME HENS Pullets 3
RCBC ROSE COMB BROWN LEG. Males 1
RCBP ROSE COMB BROWN LEG. Females 5
NEHC NEW HAMPSHIRES Males 1
FRCS Free Rare Exotic Chick 1
I wanted to try a mix of chickens for egg production and also have always wanted to try the Cornish X and game hens for their quick turnover from chick to freezer. My order was due to be shipped on sat. Feb 28th and to be Here the following Monday March 3rd. I called the post office Friday to inform them that they would arrive and to call me as soon as they arrive. It turned out to be a very cold weekend and was worried about the condion my chicks would be in when they arrived. I got the call at 6am monday morning saying my chicks arrived so I hurried out the door to get them. When the lady at the post office handed me the box I was worried because I heard nothing but after a few minutes of moving around the peeping began ( must have been sleeping well).
Mission Success! Riding home.
I do not plan on keeping all of these Chickens I will have them all for about 8wks then some go to the the freezer and a few egg layers go to a friend of mine. I plan on keeping about 10 or 12 hens and a rooster.
I had the Brooder ready the night before warmed up for their arrival.
Had 2 lamps because of the brooder is in a unheated outbuilding and was giving 0 and below temps in the next couple days.
Here is what I wound up with.
Brooder is a full sheet of 3/4" plywood with 2ft walls around it on a pair of saw horses. I had part of it Blocked off for the first week to keep them close to the heat.
Got them all home dunked there beaks in water and had to leave to go to school so I didn't get to stock around long and watch them.
got back from school about 1 pm and found one dead
don't know but figured it just had a rough trip.all went well for the next couple days and they seemed to be happy and eating like crazy. Had to clean a
few pasty butts here and there but not too bad. about 4 nights in the them got down to and -2 and I had 2 heat lamps
and a space heater running and they seemed to be warm but I wound up losing another one. I was a Cornish X.
Eating, drinking, and pooping!
Time to start building on the coop!
I decided on 4x8 since that is the size of 1 sheet of plywood and would build off of that.
My wife and I are both full time college students so budget was priority!
I used alot of Cull lumber, and pallets. Roofing metal was $6 from a local scrap yard and I had to patch a
few screw holes in it. The downside is the weather has been awful with snow and rain so I have to build coop
in front of my garage the take it apart and carry around garage to side of building because my yard is a swamp due to weather
lol.
The Begining
The worst thing about pallet wood is it is VERY hard oak so I had to predrill everything...even the screws.
Got the framing done and took apart to move. Thanks to my wife for helping move and assemble it!
Got it set in place assembled now just got to put on siding cut a few doors, paint, and build a run.
Will get there eventually and will update as soon as the weather breaks.
Thanks for Reading
