10 Stupid Newbie Questions

[3KillerBs]

I don't have any chickens yet, I'm still in the research stage (and the finding out if chickens in town are legal stage), and I've accumulated some stupid newbie questions.

You know what they say about stupid questions, so I'm going to go ahead and ask.

#1. I have a family of 6 who uses about a dozen to a dozen and a half eggs per week on average. Would 6 hens keep us in eggs (with maybe a little surplus to share?)

#2. Would a 4X6 coop and a run of about 200 square feet be suitable as a minimum level of space for 6 hens? I could possibly increase that to 6x6 and, possibly, add an open air "porch" section with a roof, a wall to the west, and hardened fencing about 6X8 but cost is an issue.

#3. Research I've done in books and online and the use of the breed selector tool I found online suggests that black Austalorps and silver-laced Wyandottes are suitable breeds -- brown eggs, docile temperament (one of the kids is only 3), good layers, and aesthetically pleasing to our tastes. Summer heat here is blistering and winters are mild with rare ventures into the teens or, possibly, single digits on the worst nights of the year. Any particular reason to choose one over the other? Any reason not to mix them if both are available at a comparable price?

#4. The main predator hazard here in town would almost certainly be neighbors' dogs. The immediate neighbors control their dogs, but there are a few running around in defiance of the leash laws. Is the common, green, welded wire adequate protection from dogs if firmly fastened to the posts and backed up with anti-digging measures? Cost is a MAJOR issue for us.

5. Do chickens damage/kill mature shrubbery and trees? I could increase the amount of potential run area (perhaps rotating through several areas), if I could be reasonably confident that the dogwoods and the unindentified shrub that would provide desirable shade in a couple possible areas would survive.

6. Are live oak leaves and pine straw good bedding material?

7. I understand that chickens like kitchen scraps. Is it OK to put the kitchen scrap compost heap (I layer them with fall leaves), in the chicken run so they could enjoy the pillbugs, earwigs, etc. as well or is there a health hazard to them from the rotting vegetation? Would they tear the pile to pieces so that it was no longer an effective pile?

8. Would it be hard to get a couple chickens from the run into a tractor in the morning and back again at night so they could work garden beds for me at times?

9. Would it make sense to locate the coop in a place that would be largely shaded by deciduous trees in the summer with windows facing south and the west side shaded by the garden toolshed?

10. My soil is nearly pure quartz sand just like at the beach so drainage is never an issue. But the chickens would be on a slight slope just uphill of the path DH uses to get from our home to his office at the back of the property. Might it be a good idea to create a swale or trench outside the lower edge of the fence to trap any possible poop-contaminated runoff? Or is this unlikely to be an issue?

 

[dw_618]

#1: depends on what kind of hens you have,,,most likely yes though

 

[kcfuerst]

1. Average layer will give you about 5 eggs a week x 6 = 30. You will have plenty of eggs.

2. Think about winter time. Will they have a dry place to play during the day? If not, 4x6 might be kind of tight for them to be crammed indoors. Bigger is better. I like the idea of a porch with a roof. Will it be protected from the winter wind or hot sun?

3. The breeds you have chosen sound perfect for you. Here is a good site to help you decide further, unless you've already been here. http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/dual.html

4. Protect your birds by using 1/2" welded wire (whatever color you want) buried in the ground, preferably in concrete. Make sure your run is covered as well.

5. Chickens eat everything. EVERYTHING. I only free range (9 birds) mine for one hour at dusk and I have to follow them around with a nice long rake to make sure they don't destroy things I want to keep.

6. The best nesting materials is shredded paper from your shredding machine (if you have one). For the coop floor, I would suggest wood shavings. Straw gets moldy and harbors bugs.

7. Never, never let your girls eat from the compost pile. Rotting food will kill them. If nor from samonilla, it will be something else hiding in the mess until it's dirt.

8. Unless you need something heavy duty, make a tractor out of white plastic pipe and cover it with green plastic fencing materials. If you put the opening at the door of your coop, the girls will love going inside because they know they get to eat greens. Or, you can let them out free a short time before dark and they will put themselves to bed in their coop when it gets dark. My girls love to be i the garden. It turns out they worship red cabbage and cucumbers.

9. Sounds like you have picked a perfect location for your coop. Shade in the summer is a definite plus.

10. You should be maintaining all areas where your chickens hang out so that there is no potential runoff hazards. You are lucky to have sandy quartz, it is easy to maintain with a rake. Just throw it all in a bucket and toss it on the compost heap. Great gardening stuff. After you rake up everything, throw down a layer of Oyster shell lime and another layer of Diatomaceous earth. This will condition the ground and keep flies at a minimum. You can use these things inside your coop, too. Sprinkle it wherever your chicken dust bathe and it will keep them from having parasites too.

Above all. HAVE FUN!!!

 

[kcfuerst]

Here is a picture of my easy-to-move tractor:


Here are some other photos that might give you some ideas:

http://s101.photobucket.com/albums/m51/K8tiecat/Renewal 2009/?action=view&current=20090516003.jpg

 

[DIMBY]

Ditto on the compost 'buffet' -- a good compost pile will reach 180 degrees and more. you need that heat, it's what makes it work. Chickens will naturally scratch and disturb so your compost won't work anymore; also chickens want and need the nutrients from fresher food, a compost pile won't have those nutrients - and like theprevious poster said - you really risk bacteria, mold, etc., that will harm your birds. Like the song says, "Gotta keep 'em separated."

 

[3KillerBs]

Thanks for the answers so far. Of course answers spawn new questions.

#2. Winters are mild here -- to the point that the ground rarely freezes hard. I'd anticipate it being a rare day that I couldn't let them out. Does that change the evaluation of the potential size?

I'm more concerned about heat -- 95/95 weather is common from June through August. The prospective "porch" would be sheltered by the coop to the south and the lawnmower shed to the west with a large shrub to the north.

#5. I didn't expect any ground-level plantings to survive. But will they kill a grown dogwood tree? A mature shrub about 8 feet tall?

#6. Pine straw, which is abundant and free for the effort of raking it, isn't straw -- its the 6-12" shed needles of the loblolly and longleaf pines. Shredded junkmail for the nests I could do easily. But would there be enough advantage to pine shavings over the pine straw to justify spending money?

#10. What's the DE for? I've seen mention of it as I read these forums and it wasn't in the reference material I read.

Thanks so much!

 

[DIMBY]

On #5, I have been free-ranging six grown chickens in my backyard for a little more than a week. Have seen no damage from my shrubs, and they can only reach a bit above their height. So far all is well and they're lovin' it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You'll get a lot of different opinions on a lot of topics. I'll add to the confusion.

#2.
The rule of thumb for coop space is 4 square feer per chicken with 10 square feet in the run. More is always better. This is based on standard management practices, having enough space for feeding, watering and roosting in the coop, and having enough space for the expected poop load. It also assumes there are days that you cannot let the chickens outside due to the weather. With 6 hens, you would have 4 square feet per bird with 33 square feet in the run. With your climate, they will not be inside very much. They do need shade as they can handle cold much better than they can handle heat. In your situation with 6 hens, from a space requirement, you have a fabulous set-up.

#3. Great choice and no problems mixing them.

#4.
The 2" x 4" green welded wire will stop the dogs and most other things. It will not stop rats or snakes (both a danger to chicks and eggs) or weasels which can kill grown chickens but especially like chicks. You mentioned dig protection already. There are a couple of other issues. One is height. Dogs can jump pretty high if they are motivated and chickens can fly the coop when motivated. I personally am going with 5' height, but anything that can climb can get in no matter the height and there is some risk that I recognize of it not being high enough. I do not leave them in the run overnight but lock them in the coop.

The other issue is that chickens will stick their head out of the holes in the wire where dogs or other predators can take their heads off. You can solve that by putting chicken wire on the bottom 2 or 3 feet, on the inside of the run to keep the chickens heads inside the run. Chicken wire will not keep predators out by itself, but it will keep chickens in.

Don't assume dogs are your only hazard. You can check with your local animal control to see what is in your area, but I've trapped possum in suburbia and seen plenty of raccoons.


5.
Your trees may survive, but rotating is definitely good. The chickens will not eat a mature tree, but they will poop a lot. The poop can build up to where it is too strong and it burns the roots. They like to hang out in the shade, so guess where they poop a lot. I can't tell you if your trees will survive or not. It depends on favorite hangout spots and how much ot the root system is outside the run.



6. Are live oak leaves and pine straw good bedding material?

It depends on how dry you can keep them. The risk is that they can get moldy even if a little damp and mold is not good for chickens. Wood shavings can also mold if they get wet, but they are easier to rake and seem to absorb moisture better. I personally would use sand before I used either oak leaves or pine straw.


7.
Here's a link to the "Treat Chart" which shows which foods are good for chickens. At the bottom it tells you which foods to avoid. it might help in your decision.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

You are specifically talking about putting a compost heap inside the run. Many people that free range chickens have compost heaps and the chickens spend time scratching through them with no ill effects. They love the worms and bugs they find. They will scatter it and may keep it from heating up if it is in the run. A compost heap does not actually have to heat up to turn the material into soil. The material will eventually rot, but it takes a lot longer and it will not kill the weeds seeds in it. A compost heap needs to stay damp to work well. You try to keep damp away from chickens. I personally would feed them the acceptable table scraps but keep the compost heap outside the run. I just think they will keep it too scattered and you won't get much benefit from the compost. I think the downsides strongly outweigh any possible benefits. And you want to keep things simple. This just makes it a little more complex.

8.
No experience with this but I think you could easily work out a system.

9.
Yes

10. With 6 hens and a run this size, I would not expect it to be a big problem. Part of it depends on how far away the path is and if your husband sees clients back there. It could cause a bad impresson. A swale to direct runoff is always a good idea. I'd have to see your layout and distances to give a firm opinion, but I'd tend to go with a swale, especially if it is relatively easy.

Here's a link to information on DE. Many people think this is the greatest thing ever but I personally do not use it. I'm just uncomfortable risking putting something in my lungs that works because it is so sharp it slices insects and worms so they dehydrate. It just doesn't sound right to me. I am fully aware many people strongly disagree with me and food grade DE is approved for use. We all have to make our own personal decisions.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1560-Food_Grade_DE

 

[glitch]

My chicks hang out under my dogwood for shade but never show any interest in eating it.

 

[cmom]

I agree with the other posts.

Gail Damerow's 'Storey's Guide to Chickens' is an excellent resource, as well as this web site which is an excellent source of information.

These sites are especially helpful in selecting breeds.
http://www.mypetchicken.com/breedQuestions.aspx
Henderson's Chicken Breed Chart
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html

Also here are some other good sites and info and more good links.
http://www.mypetchicken.com/aboutChickens.aspx
https://www.backyardchickens.com/lcenter.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/coopdesigns.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart