BRAND NEW! lots of questions?

[kthxbye]

okay, so I am brand new at chickens for egg laying, care and such, and am planning to get five chickens. Here are my questions:
1) what breeds are good for this purpose/easy for a beginner(I live in Oklahoma if that matters)
2) I know the coop should be 20 sq ft and the run 50, but what would be the dimensions if i were to make it rectangular? (like _x_ or whatnot, I'm not good at math AT ALL )
3) is there a certain brand of food that's better than another? what brand do you reccommend?

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Glad you joined us!

There are a good number of breeds of chickens that are good backyard birds that lay well. Orpingtons and Plymouth Barred Rocks are favorites. I have one of each of those and a couple of Easter Eggers. My Barred Rock is my best layer. She's also a really calm good bird. I like the Easter Eggers because the add green eggs to the mix. I'm sure you will find out a lot about the different breeds and which will be right for you as you research this site.

Lots of different feeds as well. That also will depend on what you want. Organic or not etc.

Take a stroll around the coop section of the forum. There are some good plans laid out.

Have fun!

 

[kthxbye]

Thanks! i'm really glad that I found this site! it's awesome

 

[OCpeep]

Welcome!

For a 20 sqft coop it can be 4ft x 5ft. The run at 50 sqft can be 5ft x 10ft. Just multiply the the two numbers together to get the sqft area.

We are building a dog house conversion coop for 4 hens (at least I hope they're hens, can't tell yet). The coop will be on the small side, but it will be open to the run 24/7 that will be 8ftx8ft so they should have plenty of room to roam. We are in So. Cal., and the weather is really mild so I won't have to worry about closing up the coop due to extreme cold.

Good luck with your coop and flock!

 

[tish_matt]

Think hard about how many chickens you will actually END up buying Then build to those dimensions...

 

[kari_dawn]

Think hard about how many chickens you will actually END up buying Then build to those dimensions...

That is the best piece of advice right there. Initially, I only wanted three hens...but 10 x 10 dog kennels were readily available, and an open air coop is ideal for the Texas heat where I live, so I got a used on on craigslist for cheap, put a wire mesh top on it, and scored some free corugated metal to make a wall and partial roof. I am SO glad I have extra space...though many of them are leaving this spring, there are 20 birds in my back yard right now

As far as the kinds of foods, do some research here on BYC...I personally only use commercial feed suplementally. Most of my bird's feed comes from kitchen scraps and forage. I provide a pan of flock raiser in the coop, but not as their main diet...more of an insurance that my girls are getting ballanced feed. The mix I give them changes seasonally. Chickensaresweet has an easy to follow recipe to make your own feed if that's your thing. This BYC member has been a great resource for me in deciding how and what to feed my birds.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chickensaresweets-page

I recommend one breed above all others for any beginner (or anyone else, really!), and that is ORPINGTONS. They are a beautiful, large, dual purpose bird with amazing dispositions, and great egg laying abilities. I also love my easter eggers. The ones I have had have always been kindof standoffish as young ones, but the minute they hit laying age, they turn sweet as pie. Inquisitive, comical, and just an all around joy to have around...and besides, they come in just about any imaginable color, and their eggs are beautiful to boot.





OOOHHH! Can you have roosters? EE roos are gorgeous!