Clueless city slicker moves to country and tries to build a chicken coop

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Hello and welcome to BYC! :frow

Wonderful introduction! You definitely want to keep out even the small critters like rats, mice, snakes, even weasels can squeeze in small spaces. Hardware cloth is definitely your friend.

Stop by our Learning Center for all kinds of great articles on all the aspects of keeping chickens... https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/

Make yourself at home here and welcome to our community!
 
Welcome! I agree, Dominiques are a great choice, though I haven't added them to my flock yet... They are in the short list.

Wyandottes, Ameraucanas, Brahmas, Buckeyes, and Chanteclers would also make good choices with combs close set to their heads, so they are less susceptible to frostbite.

Personally, I'm always partial to my Australorps as well :) While they have single combs, my Australorps and Welsummers both continued to lay for me over the winter when most of my friends' birds had taken a break.

Whatever breed or breeds you end up going with, just give them a secure space with plenty of room, and you'll all be happy. :)
 
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Glad to meet you, and welcome to BYC. Here is a discussion about turning a dog kennel into a chicken coop or run, and here is an article that might be helpful.

Here are my favorite beginning articles that helped me as a newbie. I hope you will find them helpful as well. All articles are short, have illustrations, and reviews, which are often worth looking at for the comments.

1. Intro to chicken keeping

2. Common mistakes & how to fix them

3. Ventilation (important to chicken health), with helpful links to coop designs organized by climate (because what is just right for my New England hens won't work for my brother's Arizona chickens)

3(a). Farmers Almanac on Building Coops (Includes size requirements!) Allowing plenty of space for chickens is really important because, even as chicks, they will start pecking each other or plucking their own feathers, or become unhealthy if they are overcrowded. Here is a link to Colorado State Extension's publication on space and temperature requirements for chicks as they age.

4. Predator protection for new & existing coops

5. Dealing with a muddy coop and run

6. Gardening for chickens

7. BYC Lists of Chicken Ailments and Cures

To look for articles on your own:

A. Use the SEARCH button, but use the Advanced Search choice, and select ARTICLES at the top of the box. Just enter your keyword(s) and scroll through your results!

B. I find it helpful to notice the rating and reviews. All articles are by BYC members, and all the reviews/ratings are as well. The ratings help a newbie like me sort the most useful and reliable articles.

C. You can bookmark the articles or posts you think you want to refer to again using that bookmark icon at the top of articles or posts. You can find them again by clicking on your own avatar and looking at the list of bookmarks you have built up!

Notes about where to put a coop:

1. As far as you can, put a coop and run on high ground, that drains well, so you won't have so much muddy coop problems. Chickens need to be dry, dry, dry.

2. As far as you can, put a coop with the ventilation lined up with your prevailing breezes, and away from the direction of your storms. If you are not sure of these (who is these days?), check with your local National Weather Service website.

3. As far as you can, arrange for some sort of shade over your coop and run. Preferably deciduous so the girls will enjoy winter sun, but summer shade.
 
WiscoLinkie said:
Hello,

We're a young family (2 boys, 2 and 4) and recently moved out of city/suburb live into a small town with plenty of room to raise chickens (and maybe a couple goats if we are successful with chickens and I can convince wife.). The home we purchased has 2 preexisting dog kennels, and I'm currently working on figuring what it will take to convert one of them into a chicken coop.

(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
Brand new without a clue

(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
Zero

(3) What breeds do you have?
Good question. We're in southern Wisconsin, so we need a breed that will be able to handle some colder nights in the winter.

(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
Free eggs. (Low maintenance?) Little outdoor pets. Good project, chores and responsibility for the kids.

(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
Videogames, fishing. Trying to figure out what home project to tackle next.

(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.

As I said we got 2 kiddos. Also a cat. We want to get a big ole dog, but we are holding off until the kids are a little older.

(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community? :D

I actually found this place from a book about raising chickens I bought on Amazon. Not sure if the book it's directly related to this site or just links to here a lot, but that's how I first arrived.
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Welcome to BYC!!
 

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