First time chicken owner, first time coop builder

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hansoto

hansoto

Chirping
Nov 2, 2017
17
22
69
Colorado
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
New to chickens and have never had any my entire life. We have had some eggs from friends and they taste AMAZING!

(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
As I am filling this out, I don't have any yet, but we are thinking of having six (maximum allowable by the City we live in). I've spent the past 5 days planning and constructing our coop -- all of your suggestions and improvement ideas have helped me immensely so thank you for that. I am all about automation so it's nice to have my creative juices flowing as we near completion.

(3) What breeds do you have?
n/a

(4) How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com?
One of my awesome neighbors, Danielle (whose coop inspired me to pull the trigger on ours).

(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
I am an actor/filmmaker who LOVES to build things.

(6) What would YOU do in order to improve your current chicken coop? What would you have incorporated into your coop during buildout to help with easier cleaning and feeding/watering? I live in Colorado so please keep our climate in mind when making recommendations
 

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Welcome! Let us know about where you live, because climate matters and will help with better suggestions.
I started with chickens, a few bantams from a neighbor, almost 25 years ago. Now we have a few over forty, both standards and bantams. This is my winter number; with hatches and sometimes mail order chicks, many more in summer!
For six standard sized hens, you will want a coop at least 24 to 30 sq. ft., with a larger run. Build big!
I would like more space, but then I'd just have more chickens! 'Chicken math' is a real thing, and I live in farm country, so no limits on numbers. Must be practical...
Electricity to the coop, and a covered run, and as much predator protection as possible.
Just starting up here, Mary
 
Hello hansoto. Welcome to BYC! There is tons of info here and very good people to help you on your journey as a new chicken owner. :)

If you want to get the most out of BYC, I suggest you do the following:
  • For general education, spend some time browsing the Articles link above and possibly the Learning Center. You will find excellent information for both newbies and long-time chicken owners there.
  • When you have specific questions, most of the time a quick search will come up with the answers.
  • If you don't find anything useful that way, post your question in an appropriate sub-forum. People here are very helpful and will answer your question even if it has been asked 100 times before.
I recommend that you browse the coops articles for ideas that might improve your own setup.

Enjoy your time here.
 
Folly's place said:
Welcome! Let us know about where you live, because climate matters and will help with better suggestions.
I started with chickens, a few bantams from a neighbor, almost 25 years ago. Now we have a few over forty, both standards and bantams. This is my winter number; with hatches and sometimes mail order chicks, many more in summer!
For six standard sized hens, you will want a coop at least 24 to 30 sq. ft., with a larger run. Build big!
I would like more space, but then I'd just have more chickens! 'Chicken math' is a real thing, and I live in farm country, so no limits on numbers. Must be practical...
Electricity to the coop, and a covered run, and as much predator protection as possible.
Just starting up here, Mary
Click to expand...

I live in Colorado
 
Hello:frow​
Welcome to BYC!!
So glad to have you here!!
Thanks for sharing your story!!
There are many people on here that are ready to help in anyway they can!
The learning center also has alot of great information on it as well!
Enjoy!​
 

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