First timer

[woodguy]

My wife brought home 15 chicks this past Easter. Needless to say they are getting pretty big at this point. I need to build a coop and a run but I have no clue as to what size I need. I seem to have 5 different breeds. I have no idea what breeds or sex they are either. Can more than one breed live together happily? I live in a farm type area next to the woods and I probably have enough room but I don't want to have to build multiple coops. Right now they are separated in different containers to keep them from pecking one another. HELP!

 

[Lorije1]

Welcome! Someone with far more wisdom and insight than me will come by soon.... but in the meantime:

I understand that multiple breeds can live together fine (I have 2 each of about 7 different breeds). I am not sure if it would make a difference if some are large fowl and some bantams. You might post pics and get some opinions on breeds and gender from the experts here.

The minimum space requirement for the outside run is 10sqft / chicken, and 4sqft inside. Those are the minimums - more is better. If you build your outside run larger than needed, you may be able to just put partitions in if there are squabbles?

 

[CityChook]

from MN!

A 6x10ish coop would be the right size for 15 chickens. Run would be 15x10ish or whatever size works out to 150 sq/ft. Some folks get by with smaller dwellings, but if you live somewhere where it's colder, you might want to consider more space for inside the coop as (mine) tend to stay inside when it's snowy and cold outside. Most importantly, plan your ventilation well (do a search in the blue bar above - there is a TON of info on ventilation on this forum) and best bet is to invest in hardware wire since you live close to the woods. Again, searching will give you more than enough information to answer all of your questions.

There are lots of coops on the coop design pages to get your creative juices flowing. Feel free to come on back to the coop forum to ask specific questions and we'll do our best to help you!

Welcome!!

edited for spelling.

 

[Mama&thePeeps]

Yes, welcome to BYC! And be sure and make your coop and run big enough so you can add more chickies to the lot because chickens can be addicting!

 

[Chicken Jack]

Welcome! You will find all you need to know about chickens at BYC. And I agree with Mama&ThePeeps, chickens are addicting!

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Different breeds can live together. They may have started pecking at each other if they were too crowded. Sometimes, if people put more high strung, aggressive chicken breeds in with really docile breeds, the more docile chickens will get bullied more. Having enough space for all of them to run around and keep out of each others way is important, even if they are all one breed.

To expand brooders, sometimes people tape different large cardboard boxes together, in a pinch. Chicks do grow really fast! If you keep them all separate until you put them together later, then they may have to sort their pecking orders out all over again. Young chicks are much easier to put together than adolescents or adults.

 

[Knowing Happiness]

Welcome to the wonderful world of poultry parenting.
First, it is normal for chickens to peck each other some. The term pecking order is a real phenomenon. Only with lots of roosters or too little space, or too much boredom will you get the nasty kind of pecking that leads to blood and pain. I little bickering is par for the course.
Second, chicken housing requirements are very simple they only need a place to lay eggs, a place to sleep, some food and water (and other stuff like oyster shells) and a place to play. If you are rural you should have no trouble meeting those needs.
The one big thing to consider is predators. To hawks and possums and raccoons and dogs and so on the term "tastes like chicken" seems to equate to a combination of chocolate and ambrosia. There are about a million ways to keep these critters away from your flock. Look around this site and you will see a few hundred of them. You will probably find that the investment to protect a dozen $3 chicks seems pretty silly, so it is best to not think about that.

 

[gryeyes]

Welcome!

My flock is comprised entirely of different breeds. It's colorful! They can all be housed together. I even have two ducks with my flock of 9 grown chickens. I have six more chicks about 12 wks old in a segregation coop/run, because it's best to introduce those once they're closer to the same size as the original flock.

You would be best to combine the chicks NOW and let them get their pecking order established. Yes, it's tough for some of us to observe that process, but trust me, it will be worse if they don't do it until they are older.

ANY manner of coop will do for chickens; it's really us people who have opinions and desires about how they look!

All they need is security against predators, a place to sleep (on roost bars), a safe place to lay eggs, good food and water, and some yard space for daytime chicken activities. Polo, soccer, jump rope, baseball and the like. (Just kidding.) But they do need about 10 sq feet per chicken in the run.

If you do have the room, and the materials, make your coop and run large enough for expansion. Once you get to know your chicks as they grow, you will probably become enamored of them, start studying up on breeds, and want to add more to your flock.

 

[woodguy]

Thanks everyone for all the interesting replies. I do have one more question. As far as nesting space...does each bird have to have it's own egg laying space or can they share?

 

[gryeyes]

Oh, they share. The general rule is one nest box for every four or five hens. At least I think that's the general rule.

Some folks use "community" nest boxes, which are bigger (wider) with no separators for individual nests. Fill it with shavings or straw/hay, and they'll make their own depressions in it.