After years of asking questions to two co-workers whom have chickens, I've taken one of their advice and just went ahead and ordered 15 day olds from M.McMurray hatchery. His advice was, order chicks and you will have a clear cut time frame of when things need to get done. Not IF I get around to building a coop, now its I need that coop built by.... so I have started gathering materials for both the brooder and the coop. Each week at payday I buy 4, 2x4's and so on until I have every thing I need for the coop (already have, 2 x 52"x100' rolls of 1x1"welded wire fencing, 12x 8' cedar fence posts, 18x 8' pt 4x4's, 50'x10' poultry netting). When our tax refund money comes in I'll order a Brinsea Ecoglow brooder to use in the 2 tote brooder I'm building(plans from fresh eggs daily blog site). Chicks should come the second week in April and will live indoors for 8 weeks so I've got time and just this past weekend I went to work on clearing the coop site of bittersweet and bull brier. My plan is to build a raised 8'x8' platform high enough to get a wheelbarrow under for ease of clean out, from there I'll build the coop of my own design. My plan is to use the cedar posts, set 3' into the ground, 5' apart with the welded wire placed vertically with 2' buried. I should have enough fence and posts for a nice well protected run and I was thinking of not just poultry netting across the top but doing PVC half hoops for added head room.
Now for the questions, 1) the space I have picked out is next to a small pond, Is / are there any concerns with having chickens near water ? 2) the girls will be locked up at night, the poultry netting is more for hawks during the day. Is poultry netting (2" sq) strong enough ? 3) is the Ecoglow worth the investment ($70-$80) ? 4) Is there any advice on what I"ve posted so far ?
Thank you for reading.
Pilgrimboy,
Plymouth, MA
Now for the questions, 1) the space I have picked out is next to a small pond, Is / are there any concerns with having chickens near water ? 2) the girls will be locked up at night, the poultry netting is more for hawks during the day. Is poultry netting (2" sq) strong enough ? 3) is the Ecoglow worth the investment ($70-$80) ? 4) Is there any advice on what I"ve posted so far ?
Thank you for reading.
Pilgrimboy,
Plymouth, MA