Greetings to all

[NoRooster]

My wife & I are newbies at raising chickens. We got (9) Leghorn chicks in early October '15. They are now over 3 months old now. I converted a storage shed (4' H x 3.5' W x 4' L) into a bi-level coop. Each level of the coop has over 12 square feet, over 24 square feet overall, with room for 6 nesting boxes that I still need to build. The "run" area is a spacious 75 square feet. I have three extra chickens I need to offload! I know that within 2 months they'll start laying.

We live in the desert south of Blythe, California, near the Colorado River and Arizona.

 

[Birdrain92]

My wife & I are newbies at raising chickens. We got (9) Leghorn chicks in early October '15. They are now over 3 months old now. I converted a storage shed (4' H x 3.5' W x 4' L) into a bi-level coop. Each level of the coop has over 12 square feet, over 24 square feet overall, with room for 6 nesting boxes that I still need to build. The "run" area is a spacious 75 square feet. I have three extra chickens I need to offload! I know that within 2 months they'll start laying.

We live in the desert south of Blythe, California, near the Colorado River and Arizona.

Welcome to BYC! Glad you joined the flock! Be prepared to get lots of white eggs from your Leghorns.

 

[NoRooster]

Thank you for your response! We're looking forward to getting eggs as a return to our investment and time given.

 

[drumstick diva]

Rule of thumb is 4-5 sq.feet per grown bird, in the coop -excluding nest boxes and roosts. And 10 sq.feet per bird in the outdoor run - a cover protects from some elements and also keeps raptors and climbers OUT. You could get by with less nest boxes, even if they are identical ,hens generally want to use the one "special" one and will climb on top of the present occupant to do so. Chickens react badly to being overcrowded.

Welcome to Backyard chickens.

 

[NoRooster]

We live in an agricultural valley in the desert. There are raptors galore, especially during the Winter months. The run in fully enclosed with chicken wire to prevent from all that may try to enter. I know I have to remove 3 chickens soon to prevent problems. The run has 75 square feet of floor space. On the east end of the run is an elevated storage area, for feed, water, etc. The run has a volume of over 450 cubic feet. There is a roof over the run; not for rain, but painted white to offset any sun beating down on the area not shaded by the white mulberry tree.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC - glad to have you join us. I also use a shed as a coop and flexibility it provides in terms of moving things around - usually needs in my case to accommodate my poor chicken maths!

Best wishes
Ct

 

[N F C]

I agree with Drumstick diva on the number of nesting boxes...you could do fine with 3-4 and save some space for the birds. Also, chicken wire will not keep your chickens safe from predators, all it will do is keep the chickens in...not the predators out. Hardware cloth is a better, safer way to go and while it is more expensive up front, it could save you the cost of having to replace your flock.

Good luck to you and thanks for joining us!

 

[NickyKnack]

Hello!

Welcome to BYC and the coop! There's a lot of great peeps here! Feel free to ask lots of questions. But most of all, make yourself at home. I'm so glad you decided to joined the BYC family. I look forward to seeing you around BYC.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

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