Advice for overwhelmed soon to be chicken owner!

[kurby22]

Yes it says “Producer’s Pride Hill Country” on the TSC website. I just have a few bantams and there’s plenty of space for them. I love that the droppings tray slides out which makes it really easy to clean. We filled the run with sand which is also really easy to maintain and our chickens seem to enjoy it, especially the booted ones.

Nice! Thanks! That’s helpful!

 

[Deb4tune]

I’m getting 4 polish hens from a breeder in March. They will be 3 weeks old at the time I have them shipped. I’m thinking of using a large hamster cage as a brooder for them until they out grow it and then what do I use? I’d like to keep them in the house extra long because I heard that especially with polish chickens they can be sensitive to coccidiosis and a good preventative is keeping them inside longer to build their immune systems? So I need to figure out what to keep them in other than just my bathroom chicken proofed


Also does anyone have a shopping list? I feel like I need so much stuff yet don’t really know what. I’m getting a prefab coop to start. It’s got an attached run and should be plenty is space for 4 birds until we’re comfortable letting them free range in our yard while we’re outside.

If anyone has any advice at all I’ll take it! I’m definitely not new to owning animals or even expiring animals at that but chickens are a whole new area I’m not used to at all!

My husband is doctor and one of his patients gave us 2 Serama frizzle chicks. We tease him about being paid in chickens! I used a large dog crate- the wire kind with a removable floor, not the plastic shipping kind- which did really well for a few weeks. We kept them in our solarium on a table and used newspapers on the floor. Then we built a coop from Tractor Supply on a brick patio, and that has worked wonderfully ever since. No space for predators to enter. I have 2 Serama hens and 2 mini Serama hens so the coop is very spacious. Both of my minis went broody at once, so I bough red star chicks to put under them. When the the red stars grew the coop was over crowded, so they went to live with a friend who has large chickens, and everything is fine again. If you don't know- red stars are gorgeous chickens- sleek like sports cars, but they are gigantic next to their mini moms. When I bought the chicks I didn't even think that chickens are not mammals, so you have to start them on food right away. Chickens were definitely a departure from dogs and horses for me, too.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

More advice, set up a coop before the chickens arrive (now!). Prefabs can be beefed up, if that’s the way you decide to go. I got a little prefab for an isolation coop/broody hen coop. I added latches and reinforced the floor to make it more secure. I discarded the roosts and put a larger single roost in. This is a plastic coop that we had to assemble, like lincoln logs. It is sturdy but pretty small. It sits within a run.
View attachment 2976564View attachment 2976565
View attachment 2976563

Thats cute.

 

[NC_ChickiePoo]

I live in SC so it’s been getting down in the 20s lately that’s why the breeder is waiting until March to ship! They are standard size!

I was going to do a dog kennel with a small coop inside of it but would have to wrap the kennel in hardware cloth. Would that be a better option?

I am in NC north of Raleigh and have almost completed my very large (about 130' perimeter) dog kennel with the hardware cloth on the bottom half and buried a bit. My husband is trying to get a handyman to come do something with the top as we just can't do it. I'm getting my chicks in a couple weeks and they'll be inside for awhile so I hope that's enough time. The hardware cloth isn't really that bad to deal with - once you get the hang of it. Definitely have some gloves and tin snips. It was cheaper to do this way as we're not trying to get too crazy with all of this - yet. Good luck!

 

[jobishop]

I’m getting 4 polish hens from a breeder in March. They will be 3 weeks old at the time I have them shipped. I’m thinking of using a large hamster cage as a brooder for them until they out grow it and then what do I use? I’d like to keep them in the house extra long because I heard that especially with polish chickens they can be sensitive to coccidiosis and a good preventative is keeping them inside longer to build their immune systems? So I need to figure out what to keep them in other than just my bathroom chicken proofed


Also does anyone have a shopping list? I feel like I need so much stuff yet don’t really know what. I’m getting a prefab coop to start. It’s got an attached run and should be plenty is space for 4 birds until we’re comfortable letting them free range in our yard while we’re outside.

If anyone has any advice at all I’ll take it! I’m definitely not new to owning animals or even expiring animals at that but chickens are a whole new area I’m not used to at all!

I have a prefab cage I got from tractor and supply for my babies. It works fine. It’s next to my big pen for the adults and I have an electric fence around both. About 2” from the bottom. Haven’t had a problem with any predators getting in. Should be fine for 4 birds. You need chick feed, probiotics for their water is good by Save a chic, a waterer and a feeder and a heat lamp. They still need extra warmth at that age.

 

[Henhouse Harlot]

If anyone already said it, awesome! Craigslist!!

 

[Carlyb22]

Here’s the new coop! It’s fully enclosed with hardware cloth, the bottom has chicken wire (we’re adding plenty more dirt over it) so it’s predator proofed!! Chicks will be shipped the first week of April at 4 weeks old!