Can I get some coop advice?

[Rasputin66]

I'm sure you know this already but you're not going to get three dozen eggs a week out of three birds... if you're lucky you'll get one a day from each. Bannies lay eggs too

 

[Tulips08]

I'm sure you know this already but you're not going to get three dozen eggs a week out of three birds... if you're lucky you'll get one a day from each. Bannies lay eggs too

Oh yes... I don't plan to stop buying eggs by any stretch. I just think it would be awesome if my new hobby gave me something other than entertainment. . My understanding is that Bantam eggs are smaller than a standard size chicken egg, since the bird is smaller, right?

 

[Ribh]

Oh yes... I don't plan to stop buying eggs by any stretch. I just think it would be awesome if my new hobby gave me something other than entertainment. . My understanding is that Bantam eggs are smaller than a standard size chicken egg, since the bird is smaller, right?

Yes ~ but not necessarily substantially so. This is a mix of Barred Rock & an Australorp bantam. Hers are the 2 eggs 1 in from each end front row. They are slightly smaller but weigh nearly as heavy as the Rock eggs. I don't have scales so can't give you an exact amount. I also have a bantam wyandotte, who is really small & not laying yet. I expect her eggs to be smaller again. The Australorp bantam lays most days so research your breeds. Some bantams are lousy layers. Others are pretty good & lay a decent sized egg.

 

[Tulips08]

Yes ~ but not necessarily substantially so. This is a mix of Barred Rock & an Australorp bantam. Hers are the 2 eggs 1 in from each end front row. They are slightly smaller but weigh nearly as heavy as the Rock eggs. I don't have scales so can't give you an exact amount. I also have a bantam wyandotte, who is really small & not laying yet. I expect her eggs to be smaller again. The Australorp bantam lays most days so research your breeds. Some bantams are lousy layers. Others are pretty good & lay a decent sized egg.
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Thank so much for the info! I'll definitely do some more digging. I honestly think bantams are really cool but wrote them off because I didn't think they'd suit what we're looking for.

 

[Ribh]

Thank so much for the info! I'll definitely do some more digging. I honestly think bantams are really cool but wrote them off because I didn't think they'd suit what we're looking for.

People think silkies [who I believe are lousy layers; I've never kept them so can't say from experience] or one of the other fancier breeds when they think bantams but breeds like the australorp are a working chicken & as a breed hardy & good layers. They are a bigger, heavier bantam than silkies. Many standard breeds also have a bantam size so decide what you want & research personalities. My Australorp isn't a cuddler but she is not skittish or unfriendly either. My Wyandotte is something of a loner but easy to handle & settles well though I wouldn't say she's all that keen on being handled but she doesn't fuss.

 

[123RedBeard]

Yes ~ but not necessarily substantially so. This is a mix of Barred Rock & an Australorp bantam. Hers are the 2 eggs 1 in from each end front row. They are slightly smaller but weigh nearly as heavy as the Rock eggs. I don't have scales so can't give you an exact amount. I also have a bantam wyandotte, who is really small & not laying yet. I expect her eggs to be smaller again. The Australorp bantam lays most days so research your breeds. Some bantams are lousy layers. Others are pretty good & lay a decent sized egg.
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Interesting!

About how many eggs a year do you get?

Are they broody?

Do they eat 1/3 the feed as a LF?

 

[Ribh]

Interesting!

About how many eggs a year do you get?

Are they broody?

Do they eat 1/3 the feed as a LF?

My Australorp bantam is new to the flock. I purchased her @ POL & she has only been laying for a few weeks but I am getting 3~4 eggs a weeks so far. None of my Australorps [I have standards as well] tend to go broody. The standards are molting hard @ present. My AB is a hearty eater but can't possibly eat what a standard does.

 

[VGEOFF]

Sorry for the length...
I am a brand new, soon-to-be chicken keeper. As of right now, I have no chickens or chicks, but I do have a little coop. I have a bunch of questions and I'd love some help so I get started off right and I'm not scrambling or kicking myself down the line.

About my coop: I bought it used for $200 (I have a very small budget to start this adventure and could not spend $500+ on a coop alone right now). It is 3'x4' with 4 exterior nesting boxes on both sides for a total of 8 boxes making the width of the entire structure approximately 5'x4'. It has no run- I have to build that. This will not be my forever coop... but I had to start somewhere, right?

About my yard situation: According to town ordinance, I have to have a 100' setback from every property line to my coop location. That means I have one place on my property where my coop can go legally (even though it actually puts the coop right up against my house and closer to my neighbors' houses than if I placed it closer to my rear property line which is backed by woods, but that's neither here nor there at this point). No roosters are allowed. I am allowed up to 6 chickens. Free-ranging is allowed and I have an acre lot, but we have lots of predators and my yard is not currently fenced, so that probably won't be a normal thing.

Questions:
1. How many chickens can I fit in here? I'm hoping for 3-4 if I build a large enough covered run which would protect from weather.

2. Does the coop have enough ventilation or should I somehow add more? The windows do not open, there is just one "vent" on one side. Any suggestions for adding more if needed?

3. Any suggestions for a run design that will not completely overtake the view from my deck/inside of my house? I need to still see my kids in the yard. Should I spin the coop around and place the run near the taller section of my deck? I'd like to make a run that I can attach to this coop or any other coop I have in the future, so I'd like it to be nice and big or able to be expanded. Or should I go down the hill somehow? This will be my first attempt at building anything so I'd rather keep things on flat land if I can.

4. Where would you put the food or waterer in the coop? Since it's so small is there some way to not take up a bunch of floor space?

5. Do I need all 8 of the nesting boxes if I'm only having 3-4 hens? Is there some way to repurpose them into something better or is it best to leave lots of options for nesting?

6. How clean/sanitized does the coop need to be to house new chickens? I don't know if any of the previous owners' birds had any illnesses or anything. Is there a great way to get it really, really clean?

7. What else am I not thinking of?

Pictures (hopefully these post properly, it's my first time doing this):

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[VGEOFF]

Hi.... I’m only a 8 year veteran. Your coops is well big enough for 6-8 chickens if there going to hav run of the yard. There water and food can be outside the coop. Depending on your chickens you might not need that many nesting boxes. Wait and see where they lay there eggs. My chickens use the same box. But I started out with one box per chicken and learned I didn’t need it. Don’t remember all your questions, hopefully this gets you started.

 

[AudieH]

My coop and run are on the smaller size as well but I free range, so the coop is only used as a hotel of sorts. Every night after they put themselves to bed I go out to lock them up and do a head count. They are all smooshed together so tight I feel like they are only using up about a quarter to a half of the space lol. I have eight full sized hens and a very large Rhode island red rooster.

Mine also came with nest boxes with dividers but they hate them and refuse to lay there. They even tear out the dividers if I put them in there, so I have a nesting system set up outside of the coop and run (yours could be in the run since you have several predators). The only predators I have are mongoose, rats, and the occasional stray cat or dog so my nest boxes are 2.5 feet off the ground (with no ramp) and recessed legs so nothing can climb them to get in and steal eggs.

I also do not keep my feed or water in the coop as I have found it actracts ants and other bugs bad. I have heard it will also actract rats to your coop so don't over feed if possible or even remove feeder at night when not in use. By not having the feeder in the coop and not using those nesting boxes saves me lots of space. I also learned to hang both the feeder and water, an inch or so off the ground, to keep bugs (ants) from nesting under it and help keep the chickens from kicking dirt or bedding into it. It seems easier for them to reach as well. Good luck with your new addiction, I mean "hobby"