Advice for newbie chicken owners

[hapi.ns]

Hi we are complete beginners looking at getting some chickens and goats and would appreciate any hints and tips for coop design and general tips on keeping happy and healthy chickens for our own free-run eggs.
Chicken area will be approx 12x 6 area within a larger barn with access to outside via a pop-out door (within a sliding outside door) to a fenced area. This area will be shared with goats or other livestock eventually and is about 30x40 feet.
Being in the Canadian maritimes the winters can be both wet and cold, and local predators would be fox, coyote, mink, weasel, eagles and a recently spotted bobcat!
Interested to know what you wished you knew before starting out with chickens!

 

[kmom08]

My winters don't get nearly as cold as yours. I'm sure someone else will have advice on that.

One thing I wish I had known early on is to hang my feeder higher. We wasted alot of feed having it hanging too low.

Also sweet pdz horse stall refresher has become one of my favorite things to use in the coop to keep odors down. I was wasting my money on the coop and compost odor neutralizer stuff for a few years which is the same thing and only getting a little bit of it in a small container.

 

[Kokomojoe]

Hi we are complete beginners looking at getting some chickens and goats and would appreciate any hints and tips for coop design and general tips on keeping happy and healthy chickens for our own free-run eggs.
Chicken area will be approx 12x 6 area within a larger barn with access to outside via a pop-out door (within a sliding outside door) to a fenced area. This area will be shared with goats or other livestock eventually and is about 30x40 feet.
Being in the Canadian maritimes the winters can be both wet and cold, and local predators would be fox, coyote, mink, weasel, eagles and a recently spotted bobcat!
Interested to know what you wished you knew before starting out with chickens!

Hi. I’m new to this as well. I enclosed an old trampoline as part of the run.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC

On this link you'll find lots of information on almost every aspect of keeping birds - from coop building ideas, to incubating eggs - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/

There’s a link on the page above to the Learning Centre - it’s a great resource. If you have a specific topic in mind, just type it in the search box - there's a wealth of information on past and present threads.

Each week, various topics are discussed, which can also be a great resource - https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive I believe this week's topic is the same as your question.


You can use this link to contact members in your area - Find Your State Thread

Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[drumstick diva]

Hope you will enjoy Backyard chickens as much as we do

 

[Kiki]

Welcome to BYC!
We are glad you joined our flock!
Build it bigger than you think you want it. Bigger is better.

This video will help you learn how to navigate this site:

Coop Ideas:
Chicken Coops

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[adrikeen]

Glad to have you join us!!!

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Hi we are complete beginners looking at getting some chickens and goats and would appreciate any hints and tips for coop design and general tips on keeping happy and healthy chickens for our own free-run eggs.
Chicken area will be approx 12x 6 area within a larger barn with access to outside via a pop-out door (within a sliding outside door) to a fenced area. This area will be shared with goats or other livestock eventually and is about 30x40 feet.
Being in the Canadian maritimes the winters can be both wet and cold, and local predators would be fox, coyote, mink, weasel, eagles and a recently spotted bobcat!
Interested to know what you wished you knew before starting out with chickens!

Coop Ideas:
Chicken Coops

On this link you'll find lots of information on almost every aspect of keeping birds - from coop building ideas, to incubating eggs - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/

There’s a link on the page above to the Learning Centre - it’s a great resource. If you have a specific topic in mind, just type it in the search box - there's a wealth of information on past and present threads.

Each week, various topics are discussed, which can also be a great resource - https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive I believe this week's topic is the same as your question.


You can use this link to contact members in your area - Find Your State Thread