I'm feeling a lot of feelings right now so bear with me.
I found a 10 week old cockerel on a local re-home group. The poster had a few others, included a lot of information about each, and generally seemed to be knowledgeable, responsible, and careful with her birds. I contacted her with a few...
I want to add a rooster to my flock of 11. They are about 16 weeks old right now. I have standard sized chickens - orpingtons, EE, Australorp, cochins, black star, wyandottes, etc.
I considered a bantam roo so if he turns into a jerk, at least he's small and won't be so intimidating (I have...
My run is only half covered. Our soil is sandy but there's a layer of topsoil over it so I'm looking to add some kind of litter for the summers just to deep-litter the poop and keep everyone's feet clean. In the winter the whole thing will be covered so it will be less of an issue.
I don't want...
Thank you for posting the photo! I picked up a Cochin a few days ago who's wing feathers are pointing out just like yours and I was concerned there was something wrong. This is reassuring.
I'm getting chickens in the spring. There have never been chickens on our property, so it's as much of a clean slate as possible. That said, we have neighbors about 1/4 mile away who have chickens, as well as a few friends who have chickens. Our kids are all friends. There is bound to be...
I'm planning on buying a coop from a builder about an hour away. They will deliver it. They recommend a gravel pad to set it atop. After doing some research, the 'best practice' seems to be to build a frame of treated wood, level, then add 4-6" gravel. Easier than a slab, but... it means a lot...
Tbh I'm not sure how much I'll use it or if I'll just go inside.
There is a separated feed room area on one end - so the nest boxes aren't lined up with the windows and I believe this photo is a different coop with a reversed floorplan from the first one I posted.
If I face my windows south, which is currently the plan, the walk-in door will be to the east, the little chicken door leading to the covered run will be to the west. Most of our weather comes from the west, so I think that's probably the safest bet.
This also means snow fall-off from the roof...
Not rainy at all! These are things I can potentially ask for customizations. The photo is a past coop this person has built, but I can use it as a template for my own needs.
I believe there is a small door on the front (back?) of the nest boxes - the roofing part doesn't lift up.
The pop door...
I'm finding myself overwhelmed with decisions - I'm planning buying a coop like the one attached. Ive never had chickens before. I have 5 acres but because of snow I want to keep it close-ish to the house.
How do I decide which direction to 'face' it? I figure the windows should probably face...