PetrasRetired
In the Brooder
I don't own a single chicken. . . . yet. I've spent the winter building my first coop, a 4' x 10' dragable skid with insulated house and run under one roof. Right now I'm working on getting the heating system worked out so that hopefully temperatures at floor level will keep water from freezing without cooking the birds on the roost 3 1/2' overhead. I'm undecided as to whether to start with a small clutch of meat birds and then raise my dual purpose hens after harvesting the meat birds or to just raise a few more dual purpose hens than I plan to keep through next winter. My coop is smaller than I wish it were already. By all I've read, my 10 sq ft floor space and 40 sq ft run should house about 4 hens through the winter where they may be confined for a couple of weeks at a time in the worst weather of an Iowa winter. I'm not new to chickens; just new to owning them and being solely responsible for their care. My grandfather cared for our hen flock of 50 birds all the time I was growing up. Since he loved chickens so much, I'm getting into backyard chickens with the honor and hope I'll enjoy them as much as he did. Greetings to all you chicken owners. I look forward to engaging with you.
We are glad you joined our flock.
