47 year old Urbanite buys 5 baby chics

[vespadaddy]

Hello,
So, I've always lived in the city, since I was 24. I grew up in the burbs, but fled to St Paul/Minneapolis as soon as I could, and I know nothing about animal husbandry or livestock. Nonetheless, I decided to buy 5 chicks last Thursday, after touring a neighbor's coop.

I'll be raising these chickens with my 2 kids, ages 10 and 12. I think they are a fun bird to watch, and in addition to the fresh eggs, I want my kids to gain the experience of raising chickens, and living just a little bit closer to the land.

We've got:
1 Buff Orpington (Buffy)
1 Rhode Island Red (Rusty Shackleford)
1 Easter Egger/Amerucana (Belle)
1 Gold Star (Comet)
1 California White (Daisy) She is my loudest bird

I'll be building a coop/Run structure. I'm planning on a coop that's elevated 32-36 inches from the ground, about 6' x 5', with internal nesting boxes. Insulated with R10 2" foam.
The coop/run will be 18X6 (first 5' coop), with a gabled metal roof to match my house, and 1/2 hardware cloth containing all walls of the run. I've got most of the coop/run materials now, and will start building it this week.

Looking forward to searching through the archives here for ideas and inspiration, and will try to post pics as I get it built.

Cheers,

Dan in Mpls

 

[rachelsflock]

Sounds like a deluxe coop. As long the insulation is walled off so no one snacks on it, and it sounds like you're pretty thorough so I'm sure it will be those birds should be in heaven. Way to go, feel free to post pictures, and welcome to BYC.

 

[vespadaddy]

Yup. I'll line the inside with some kind of thin wooden sheathing. I think I am going to whitewash the interior with salt, water and hydrated lime. I saw a video on youtube, and that guy claimed it makes it a hostile environment for bugs, but is harmless for chickens. Supposedly it is what the Amish do...

 

[rachelsflock]

Yep, sounds like you've got it all covered.

 

[CABINHOLLOWNC]

Sounds like you have a great plan! Chickens are fun and the eggs are the bonus you get from loving and caring for them!!

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to Backyard chickens, hope you will enjoy it as much as we do. Would love to see photos of your coop/run once it's completed.

 

[Cntry1958]

Please make sure the chickens can not get to any type of insulation or foam as it will kill them.

 

[rachelsflock]

You know, I think @vespadaddy's got it.

 

[vespadaddy]

ha. Yeah, I'll be putting thin plywood on the interior of the coop to keep the chickens from pecking the insulation.
I did a rough layout of the area today, and now I'm considering the removal of a couple of trees before I start. I would hate to build a coop/run and have a tree fall on it in a year or two. They aren't healthy trees, as they have been hit by whatever worm larva it is that eats pine trees.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Welcome to the adventure!