I agree with Mary, except that I landed on Nutrena feed. Ours was manufactured only 4 to 5 weeks before when I bought it, so the turnover she mentioned is true. We tried buying organic from a feed store and the bags were dusty and had been laying there awhile.
We first used a non-gmo feed when...
I've seen where people will bend hardware cloth, attach it to the outside and use pegs to anchor to the ground for a foot or two. My husband and I buried metal sheeting around our perimeter. We used that because we have plenty from an old torn down building.
My EE rooster is a very valuable flock guardian. He's often seen standing guard at the open door while the hens are napping in the coop, or he patrols the yard while they are laying in the underbrush or dust bathing. He sounds the alarm and they all run for cover from the hawks. The hens know...
I have a friend with a farm that sells chicken they raise. I won't ship mine off to be processed, instead we've made a deal that we'll help to get it done for half price :)
They have the setup, scalder, plucker and experience. We'll get to learn hands on and get all 19 of ours done at once...
Btw, I like the way you've repurposed old materials for your chickens :) this is our first flock as well. I have 18-week-olds down to 6-week-olds,plus an adult roo.