Chicken Noob needs help

[kcravey]

They will lay eggs without a rooster. You only need a rooster if you are going to try to incubate the eggs. Welcome to the chicken world! I agree with the other posts - you will soon find you are addicted! I had a shed I redid also. I turned half of it into 2 stalls for chicken coops with attached runs. Now, Im in the process of converting the other half also into 2 more stalls! (who needs a shed right??) ha ha! I also have tractors everywhere filled with chickens and turkeys. My hubby had a covered area for his "stuff" that soon became a coop also! I have been "told" no more coops till we a get a PEOPLE shed!

 

[CWortman]

I am very happy to see that this web service is very active. I was worried if I was going to even get a reply and BAM its happening. next I need to find a good hearty breed for raising in michigan.

 

[Barry]

I would recommend Chanteclers if you can find them, it is a Canadian breed that does very well in the cold and even lays eggs in the short winter days without extra lighting.
If you can not find that breed, chose one that has small combs and wattles, that lessens the chance of frostbite.
Welcome to BYC!

 

[Judy]

I'd recommend a "dual purpose" breed such as barred rock or orpington (good for eggs as well as meat.) Delaware would also be good if you can find them. See if there is a breeder in your area, both for information and better quality birds than you will get from hatcheries.

A 6x20 coop will hold 20 chickens but no more (4 sq ft per bird is minimum, and really not enough IMHO, if they choose to stay indoors a lot in winter.) You might consider roofing part of the run so they can get outdoors in snow; most will not walk in much snow. For the run, you will want a minimum of 10 sq ft per bird.

An excellent site on breeds:

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html. If you click on the letters in the left hand column, you will find more sites about breeds. The chart addresses cold hardiness and a lot of other information.

For books, Story's Guide to raising Chickens is probably the best single source, although the info is all here on this site, too, if you read enough.

 

[PunkinPeep]

Welcome to BYC!

I think that i would find 6x20 to be awkward dimensions and would wish i had kept more of the other half of that building for the chickens.

 

[PunkinPeep]

Oh yeah, as to breed, i have only read about their cold-hardiness, but in addition, buff orpingtons are gentle, dual purpose, and friendly. I think they're a great breed for a family to raise, especially for the first flock.

 

[CWortman]

Thankyou Barry. I have decided on Chanteclers but they seem to be a bit pricey, so I kinda hesitate on them.