Chicken Newbie - I need help!

[amberkempter]

My teenager went to Tractor Supply and purchased 4 baby chicks with one of her friends, so we are now the proud owners of a small flock (PS; why TS would allow children to purchase live animals without a parent's permission is beyond me....). I didn't really plan on having chickens, but here we are!

They have been living in a big container in the garage, but they are definitely outgrowing it and need to be moved to a coop outside soon. I have absolutely no idea where to even begin to look for a coop. Does anyone have a link to a coop that works well for 4 chickens? We live in Nebraska, so we definitely have to keep our terrible winters in mind. I sincerely appreciate any help you can give me -- I am feeling a bit lost as a new chicken mom!

 

[cherrynberry]

My teenager went to Tractor Supply and purchased 4 baby chicks with one of her friends, so we are now the proud owners of a small flock (PS; why TS would allow children to purchase live animals without a parent's permission is beyond me....). I didn't really plan on having chickens, but here we are!

They have been living in a big container in the garage, but they are definitely outgrowing it and need to be moved to a coop outside soon. I have absolutely no idea where to even begin to look for a coop. Does anyone have a link to a coop that works well for 4 chickens? We live in Nebraska, so we definitely have to keep our terrible winters in mind. I sincerely appreciate any help you can give me -- I am feeling a bit lost as a new chicken mom!

If you are not looking to build one yourself, this could be a good website to look into:

https://overezchickencoop.com/collections/all


I bought a run from OverEZ. Not sure if their coops have enough ventilation, as I never recieved one. Chickens need 4 square feet each in their coop and 10 square feet each in their run. Are you SURE you will stop at 4 birds?

 

[amberkempter]

If you are not looking to build one yourself, this could be a good website to look into:

https://overezchickencoop.com/collections/all


I bought a run from OverEZ. Not sure if their coops have enough ventilation, as I never recieved one. Chickens need 4 square feet each in their coop and 10 square feet each in their run. Are you SURE you will stop at 4 birds?

We are definitely stopping at 4! When we went back to TS to buy supplies for the chickens, my other teenager suckered me into getting 2 ducklings, so we are at our bird quota around here, haha! We are going to house the ducks separately from the chickens since they need such a different environment.

 

[Percheron chick]

Start with CL and FB marketplace. Look for something you can repurpose. A shed, a playhouse, a small camper, a swing set, a chicken coop... Think outside the box. Hoop coops are cheap and fast to build if you have any building skills. They can also be easily expanded down the road. Stay away from the cute very small ( pickup bed size) coop/ run setups that run $3-400 at tractor supply. Unless it is free. It will only be large enough until they are 3-4 months old. It can buy you some time.
I have a friend who lives in Mitchell and her coop is nothing special. Old storage shed with a wire front. She does run plastic over the wire to block the blowing snow but nothing other than that.

 

[cherrynberry]

We are definitely stopping at 4! When we went back to TS to buy supplies for the chickens, my other teenager suckered me into getting 2 ducklings, so we are at our bird quota around here, haha! We are going to house the ducks separately from the chickens since they need such a different environment.

Well, 4 is too much for the tradition prefab coops you see everywhere. They always state they can fit more chickens than they actually can. The wood is flimsy, cheaply made, etc.

 

[amberkempter]

Start with CL and FB marketplace. Look for something you can repurpose. A shed, a playhouse, a small camper, a swing set, a chicken coop... Think outside the box. Hoop coops are cheap and fast to build if you have any building skills. They can also be easily expanded down the road. Stay away from the cute very small ( pickup bed size) coop/ run setups that run $3-400 at tractor supply. Unless it is free. It will only be large enough until they are 3-4 months old. It can buy you some time.
I have a friend who lives in Mitchell and her coop is nothing special. Old storage shed with a wire front. She does run plastic over the wire to block the blowing snow but nothing other than that.

Do the chickens do well in the winter? Just not sure what all we need to provide for them in their coop once the weather starts getting colder. I feel a little lost with all of it!

 

[nuthatched]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/categories/chicken-coops.12/
I wouldn't buy a prefab, they are expensive yet cheaply made.

 

[nuthatched]

Do the chickens do well in the winter? Just not sure what all we need to provide for them in their coop once the weather starts getting colder. I feel a little lost with all of it!

As long as they have good ventilation but no drafts, they'll be fine, you don't need heat. You need a heat lamp or something now and chick starter.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/categories/getting-started-raising-chickens.21/

 

[DobieLover]

Do the chickens do well in the winter? Just not sure what all we need to provide for them in their coop once the weather starts getting colder. I feel a little lost with all of it!

Chickens need about 4 sq ft per bird in the coop, each with 1 linear ft of roost space and as close to 1 sq ft of year round ventilation in a DRY coop to do well in winter.
A large covered run with wind breaks on the walls serves them well during winter.
My winters go as low as -25F.
This is my coop in January.

The soffit, ridge and gable vents are open year round as are the two pop doors.
I cover the run walls with reinforced poly sheeting.

 

[K0k0shka]

If your child buys live animals without parental permission, and you aren't prepared to raise said animals, you can always take them back to the store and explain what happened. I'm sure they'd understand. No need to give in and saddle yourself with a years-long commitment just because of a child's impulse... Just sayin'.