This forum is fantastic! So much to read and learn. I do not have any chickens yet, but we are building the coop this summer so we can be ready to welcome chicks next spring. We want to keep 6-8 laying hens and I'm excited to learn from all of you.
Hello and welcome to BYC. You must have the patience of a saint to wait so long to get chickens You'll find lots of info in the Learning Centre - https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center and if you have a specific topic in mind, just type it in the search box - there's a wealth of information on past and present threads. You may wish to consider joining your state thread as it will put you in touch with other BYC members in your area - https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/270925/find-your-states-thread#post_3239224 All the best CT
Thanks for the links! Yes, I am patient and very respectful of the commitment. Plus I'm only marginally handy so I figure it will take me all summer to build them a place to live!
Welcome to BYC, Erica! I have no clue how you can wait that long for chickens! Your patience is enviable! We can't wait to assist you with anything along your path of poultry! :jumpy Wings of Wishes, :jumpy ~Sarah
Welcome to the world of chickens! I have a some good books to reccomend that are all about chickens and you can find helpful information on how to raise and care for them: The Small Scale Poultry Flock by Harvey Ussery, Chicken and Egg by Andy Cawthray and James Hermes, The Chicken Whisperer's Guide to Keeping Chickens by Andy G. Shneider and Dr. Brigid McCrea, The Chicken a Natural History by Dr. Joseph Barber, and How to Raise Chickens Everything You Need to Know by Christine Heinrichs. I have all of these and give them each a five star review. You can buy them on Amazon. I use them all the time. Welcome to BYC!
The coop is easy its like a mini house. It doesn't have to be fancy at all. Just 4 walls, a window, a roost for them to sleep on at night. Then for every 3 hens a laying boxes and a door so you can get in and clean. Door and ramp for them to go outside and ventilation . 4 square feet per chicken is also what they say. Make it as big as you can just incase you want to add a few more chicks or chickens down the road. A 8x10 building will give you 80 square feet of space and let you house 20 chickens. If your not handy there are wooden sheds that are 8 by10 that you can convert into a coop. 5 X7 is 35 square feet giving you enough room for 8 chickens. Figure out if you want your laying boxes accessible from the outside for you to pick up a lid and collect the eggs or do you want to walk in the coop to gather the eggs up. There are great plans here on the site as well as YouTube where you can check out other peoples coops and get ideas of what you would like to build or have someone build it for you. I hopping this will help you a little bit to get more comfortable in building a coop.
G’Day from down under EricasRun Welcome! As you have already received links to some good starting points and some great advice, I will just wish you all the best. I hope you enjoy being a BYC member. 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. If you would like to share pictures and stories of your flock when they arrive, you have come to the right place. BYC’ers never tire of these and do not back away slowly or commence eye rolling when the photo album or home videos come out
