Advice for overwhelmed soon to be chicken owner!

[Carlyb22]

What sort of feed does everyone recommend? I was going to do unmedicated chick starter and then all flock and grit. Anything else? I would given them scrambled eggs, bugs and fresh veggies often as well.

 

[Iluveggers]

Only chick feed for first few weeks, no treats until they are older! And treats should not be more than 10% of what they eat! If you go with all flock, once they start laying you will need oyster shell to supplement.

 

[3KillerBs]

And that truly is a minimum. My cats would be pissed

It really is a very small space when you see it laid out that way as a bathmat next to your shower.

What sort of feed does everyone recommend? I was going to do unmedicated chick starter and then all flock and grit. Anything else? I would given them scrambled eggs, bugs and fresh veggies often as well.

I like to do one bag of medicated starter and then over to all-flock, but medicated vs unmedicated is very much a matter of opinion and circumstance. I'm brooding outdoors and/or in a coop so I know that the chicks will soon be exposed to the cocci. Therefore I choose medicated.

I also introduce bits of green weeds and grit early, after a week or so -- but only sprinkle the grit sparingly over the food. I was instructed to think of it as if I were salting the plate but with grit. Not very much though. Just tiny bits -- a few dandelion leaves chopped up for a dozen chicks.

Their main treat is wet mash made from their chick starter. They go crazy for it.

I feed them wet mash off my fingers to help tame them, but this should be done with caution and stopped when those little beaks aren't so little anymore and can peck harder.

As they get older I give them a little clump of weeds with the dirt on the roots to peck at.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

Do you think the 4x10x6 is enough for 6? I’m only getting 4 now but the space to have 2 more in the future would be nice. I’m hoping I will be able to let them roam our yard once they are more used to us and we will be able to get them back in their coop, but since polish don’t see well I want them to have space in their run. I’ll be adding enrichment items to it for sure so they don’t get bored

If the coop is 4x10 then that is plenty of room for 6 birds. But based on other posters comments it makes me wonder if 4x10 is coop/run combined, in which case it would be too small for 6.
What is the actual coop size and run size of the coops you propose to purchase?

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[Carlyb22]

If the coop is 4x10 then that is plenty of room for 6 birds. But based on other posters comments it makes me wonder if 4x10 is coop/run combined, in which case it would be too small for 6.
What is the actual coop size and run size of the coops you propose to purchase?

The entire thing is 4x10. It looks like the coop is 4x3. I’m only getting 4 so is this size okay for 4? We will probably add on another run in the future if we end up not being able to let them free range in the yard a few times a week.

 

[3KillerBs]

The entire thing is 4x10. It looks like the coop is 4x3. I’m only getting 4 so is this size okay for 4? We will probably add on another run in the future if we end up not being able to let them free range in the yard a few times a week.

12 square feet in the coop is appropriate for 3 chickens. 4x10 in the run is appropriate for 4.

It *might* work -- or it might not. I kept 5 birds in that 4-bird coop I showed you for about a year while building my big coop, but I had a hugely-oversized run made from 150 feet of Premier 1 poultry netting. It wasn't ideal and I was prepared to sell or eat the extra bird if I had trouble.

https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/poultrynet-plus-48-inch-starter-kit?cat_id=190

A few hours of free range a few times a weeks doesn't compensate for tight housing. Constant access to generous outdoor space might.

 

[SueT]

The entire thing is 4x10. It looks like the coop is 4x3. I’m only getting 4 so is this size okay for 4? We will probably add on another run in the future if we end up not being able to let them free range in the yard a few times a week.

I think it can work for 4 if they like each other, which they should, having been raised together. And make 2 roosts in there. I know others will quote the 4 sq ft per bird rule, but I’d go for it. I have 13 in a 5 X 8 coop and they are a happy flock.

 

[Iluveggers]

I think it can work for 4 if they like each other, which they should, having been raised together. And make 2 roosts in there. I know others will quote the 4 sq ft per bird rule, but I’d go for it. I have 13 in a 5 X 8 coop and they are a happy flock.

Yes, just make sure they have at LEAST 4 feet of roost space at the same height! Roost fighting is the worst.

 

[Carlyb22]

Yes, just make sure they have at LEAST 4 feet of roost space at the same height! Roost fighting is the worst.

Will do!! Thanks!

 

[3KillerBs]

Here are photos of 3, 18-week cockerels in a 4x8 coop (my brooder), this morning.

I can't let them out because of avian flu lockdown and you can see that 3 birds in 32 square feet don't look like they have a roomy environment.

Note: I have to get some bedding in there since they're on lockdown. They were *supposed* to be working my garden area while waiting to either be sold or eaten.