Considering raising a couple chickens and have no clue...

[Chonie]

I live in the city and am looking into raising just a couple of chickens for personal eggs. Is there an inexpensive way to do this? I've looked at some of the coop designs through backyardchickens and they seem rather large for just 2. Thanks for any help.

Gretchen

 

[happyheart]

Look and see if you cant find something on craigslist or since you are only getting 2 (yeah right)

thats all i wanted now i have 16 you could use a large dog house. just use your imagination. There is all kinds of things you can use. I know my friend who raises them just for 4-h uses a upside down trash can, and a dogkennel. I dont think thats thats the greatest thing but sometimes you use what you got. So you dont go into debt making a huge chicken coop. Hope this helps.

 

[justusnak]

Congrats on decideing to raise " just a few" chickens. Your coop doesnt have to be expencive. Do you have a shed in your yard!? If so, just make them a space in part of it, put up a wall partition. ( something easily removed, because I am sure you will find yourself wanting more...later)

All they really need is a secure place, away from predators...draft free...and dry. Give them a safe yard to roam in..and provide food and water. No, it doesnt have to be expencive...but, if you are like most of us..." just a few for personal eggs" Will turn into : just a few coops!"

 

[bigmike&nan]

You don't say where you are. Weather is a big concern for us folks up North and on the East Coast... Raising baby chicks is absolutely so cute to do (we have 6 chicks that we've had since they were two days old, tomorrow is their 2 week birthday (I'm baking a cake for my wife and I to celebrate with). But buying two hens that are say 8 to 10 months old from someone is also a nice way to start, hens start laying at about 5 months (give or take).

Buying chicks is fun, but you have to have a brooder setup and lamp

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=6233

and that's an outlay of space and money you may not be prepared for. Whereas already grown hens are laying right out of the gate. They need lots of space in their coop, especially if you are doing it on an apartment building roof or balcony and they won't have any free ranging.

Take into consideration the weather and space and also remember whatever you use will have to blend into the scenery some (a lot of areas don't allow chickens in the city limits) your neighbors must be considered. Heck, my neighbor helped us build our coop, but once our wyandottes starting grazing (and nonsense) on his prized lawn he wasn't so happy. LOL...

On the front page of the site there is a section with coops of different sizes. Check out the smaller coops listed. These are coops fellow members have made. As others have said you can buy a small doghouse and modify it some, add a small run using 1 x 2's and staple gun hardware cloth or chicken wire over it. Each full sized hen should have 8 to 10 sq ft of coop space and 8 to10 sq feet of run... That might sound like a lot of space but it's not, and it allows for future growth of your flock. As the others have joked YOU WILL find yourself wanting more chickens. It's an addiction...

Again

And good luck, it's so much fun and darn, fresh eggs really are good.

 

[ScoobyRoo]

from Kansas! bigmike&nan said it all. Good luck keeping yourself under control. It can and will get out of hand.

 

[andehens]

from California!

 

[horsejody]

I suggest you just give in to the power of chickens now. As the Borg say, resistance is futile. Build a coop. Heck, just renovate your entire garage. Get a few hens, buy an incubator, start ordering hatching eggs and let the obsession begin.

 

[digginchicks]

Chickens are to awesome you will definatly end up with more than 2

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Look around an see what you have. most people have the stuff to build a coop big enough for there personal egg needs laying around.

This coop cost less than $40 not counting the pvc feeders.

O yea...

 

[iread]

I agree that checking craig's list is a great place to find something for a smaller coop. I started out wanting 4...by the time I ordered, I ordered 20! Good luck!