Top Five Chicken Nuggets of Advice

[aart]

You'e gotten some great advice so far....

Space!! Big a coop as you can, reiterating cause it's so important!
......And.....seriously think about making it so you can throw up a temporary wall to split the coop into two sections with people door access to both sides.
The best thing I did in designing my coop, that extra, separate space was a huge stress saver for rogue cockerel, injured bird, adding new chicks, broody hen, more chicks, isolating a few birds to see who was laying that particular egg.

In designing your coop think about height, a walk-in coop is much easier to maintain and is excellent for ventilation, especially in the cold north:
There's a 'stack up' aspect to coop design:
Bottom of pop door should be about 8" above floor so bedding doesn't get dragged out of coop.
Nice to have bottom of nests about 18" above bedding to allow use of that floor space under them(doesn't count if your nests are mounted on outside of coop).
Roosts should be about 12" higher than nests so birds won't roost(sleep) in nests and poop in them.
Upper venting should be as high as possible above roosts so no strong drafts hit roosts in winter...and hot/moist air and ammonia can rise and exit coop.


and I'll add some chick info:

Chick Heat

Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:
They need to be pretty warm(~85-90F on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker acclimation to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later I still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.


Or you could go with a heat plate, commercially made or DIY: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/pseudo-brooder-heater-plate


Huddle Box
Make them a 'huddle box', put it in the brooder after turning off the heat(you might have to 'persuade' them to use it) then move it out to the coop with them.
Cardboard box with a bottom a little bigger than what they need to cuddle next to each other without piling and tall enough for them to stand in.
Cut an opening on one side a couple inches from bottom and big enough for 2-3 of them to go thru at once.
Fill the bottom with some pine shavings an inch or so deep.
This will give them a cozy place to sleep/rest, block any drafts and help hold their body heat in.


ETA: oh and Welcome to BYC!!

 

[Mrs. K]

Some of the most respected posters posted, excellent advice above.

1. Draft free but well ventilated was the most confusing thing to me. What it means is that you need a great deal of fresh air in the coop, but shelter from the wind. My south side of the coop has large openings at the roof line to let out warm damp air. You want to keep chicken DRY not warm. Their dry feathers will keep them warm. Don't seal it up tight or add heat.
2. When people ask me, I say just do hens the first year or even two. Roosters take a little experience, a lot of space and a sharp knife. Many roosters do not work out, they can start out as darlings, and turn into nightmares. If you want a rooster, you need to make a plan on what you will do if he is aggressive. Some are, some are not. If you are sure you can't cull, don't get one.
3. Chicken math needs to go both ways, adding and subtracting.
4. Predators will find your weak spots in your set up, everything likes chicken. It sucks, but then you have space for new ones.
5. This is a great hobby that I have enjoyed for years, you don't have to do it all at once, get it perfect and never change. So far, I have never kept a long term plan! haha things and opportunities change.

Best of luck
MRs K

 

[azygous]

Since you're beginning with baby chicks, my most important advice is to create a brooder that can be accessed from the side. Chicks react very fearfully to hands reaching down from up above them. (Think - hawks swooping down.)

Instead of a brooder placed on the floor, try mounting your brooder on a table. It's easier on your back and the chicks will be more calm and trusting if they aren't handled from above. Avoid plastic totes. No need to go to that expense when cardboard boxes are free and can be fashioned into imaginative "chick condos" by taping a couple together and cutting a pass-through in the common wall.

In fact, go to the chick forum and read through "Mama Heating Pad in the Brooder" for a great idea for heat in your brooder that will virtually eliminate over-heating issues, by using an ordinary heating pad instead of a heat lamp.

 

[Babeof1957]

I put organic apple cider vinegar in my dogs' water...it provides many good health properties such as pest protection, infection deterrent and fungus prevention.

 

[Monguire]

Chicken math needs to go both ways, adding and subtracting.

What is this mythical concept of chicken subtraction you speak of?!?

 

[Mrs. K]

Haha - Chicken math is full of theories, not actual facts!

No, I am getting better at subtracting or building a bigger set up.

 

[aart]

Quote: WinnerWinnerChickenDinner!!!

 

[CroqueArizona]

Lol when I was a kid fast food was chasing a rooster....

 

[Sutremaine]

I don't have a top five, but I do have something that hasn't really come up.

Observe the birds. Go and sit in the run, or the coop, and just watch them passively. Get used to what is normal for them. Then, you can mull that information over and decide whether or not that normality is acceptable.

Here's a nugget I've just thought of: Do not underestimate the amount of damage a chicken can do to plant roots and shoots. Forget oysters -- to a chicken, the whole world is their pinata.

 

[Mrs. K]

Very good advice ^^^^^^. And very relaxing. I love to sit and watch them with a cup of coffee, and let the world go bye.