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Aoife

Aoife

Hatching
Jan 2, 2017
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Greetings, fellow fowl friends:

I've just joined the group. My daughter and I are JUST beginning the process -- we have wanted chickens since she was six years old -- she's now twenty-six, and we're finally in a place where we can do this together in my backyard.

Our current issue is finding a good, affordable coop (my budget maxes out at about $600) and don't have the tools required to build our own, so we're looking for a good prefab that will eventually house four larger laying hens -- we're planning on a mixed group of a Orpington, Bhrama, Plymouth Barred Rock and perhaps a Jersey -- however, we've heard the Barred Rocks can be noisy, and our area won't accept "noisy" chickens -- some sound obviously okay, but not "nuisance sounds."

Any advice will be welcome!

Best,
Aoife B.
 
Those are great breeds to begin with! I've had Barred Rocks (I wouldn't say they're any nosier than any other breed) and Brahmas, both are very sweet breeds, as our Orpingtons, though I've never had any myself. Leghorns are my favorite; people always say they're flighty and mean, but they are the sweetest birds I've ever had. Also are FANTASTIC layers, if you don't mind if eggs are brown. Sex-Links (also called Stars, as well as a ton of commercial names) are also great layers and really sweet, and you'll always get 100% accurate sexing with them because you can tell male and females apart at birth.

As for coops, Craigslist is a great place to look, and so is your regular feed store. Fleet Farm has a nice selection, and are usually lower than $600. Always plan on more space than you need, chickens are addicting and soon your six or so will turn into twenty.

BYC is a great place for asking questions about chickens and getting advice on raising and taking care of them, and identifying and treating injuries/sickness. Good luck!
 
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G’Day from down under Aoife
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Welcome!

I started out with a small prefab coop and 2 x bantams. 2 x bantams became 6 x bantams and a second prefab coop, slightly remodeled and attached to the existing one. The prefabs sort of worked OK for a couple of years but they did start to deteriorate in the weather and were difficult to clean and a bit cramped.

I believe prefab coops serve a purpose [temporarily] and are a good starter/educational tool to assist you in working out what both yours and the chickens needs are if you should decide to build your own.

However, as suggested, if you can purchase a larger coop from Craiglist, that might be best.

If you see one you like, I recommend may be posting pictures on this thread prior to purchase:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/596294/post-your-chicken-coop-pictures-here/16150

There are lots of members on that thread who would be able to give you some advice as to whether it looks OK and point out any potential issues.

I hope you enjoy BYC. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun. Unlike non chicken loving friends, family and colleagues, BYC’ers never tire of stories or pictures that feature our feathered and non feathered friends
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That's a nice mix of breeds to start with. I have had Barred Rocks in the past and they weren't any noisier than the others I had; the one Easter Egger I had was the quietest, she was like a stealth chicken very rarely heard.

Pre-fab coops don't have the best reputation because they don't usually fit as many birds as advertised, have a tendency to fall apart faster and are expensive for what you get. For $600 (or less) you may be able to find someone to build one for you or put one up using recycled materials. People make coops out of all sorts of things like old childrens play houses, pallets, etc. Look over some of the coop build stories for lots of ideas: https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coops

Good luck with all your plans, it's nice you're finally able to get the chickens you've been wanting for so long!
 
Hello and :welcome! I hope you enjoy BYC just as much as the rest of us do! Sounds like a great mix of birds to me! Orpingtons are so sweet, and I've heard Brahams are too! Craigslist is a great place to look, just make sure to give the coop a thorough cleaning before putting chickens in it. :)
 

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