Hey Newbie here, Planning on getting a small flock 3-4 chickens having debate whether to buy a prema

[FTCMRose314]

Hi everyone, I am working on getting my family a small flock of chickens (3-4) for pets and eggs, been researching for a while now. we have a average sized yard we live in town and are allowed 4 chickens to keep, we live in Michigan so our winters get really cold.- 20 degrees F. We are trying to decided if it is cheaper to build a coop or buy a per made one, also what to do for heating in the winter, if to do it at all. we want to raise happy healthy chickens with as little cost as possible. (talking about having another baby ^_^)

Now my husband and I are in debate on quite a few things. my husband is more of a cliff note researcher meaning he reads a handful of articles asks a couple of people then thinks he knows everything lol . I'm a little more of a long term reading a lot of material and listen to alot of stories and advice from veterans such as yourselves! So i guess im just looking for incite and tips from other experienced Michigan BYC keepers.

So already im sorry for frequently asked questions and just straight Dumb questions i will have be asking in the future. Thank you for taking me under your wing!

CHEERS!!
Mrs. P

 

[critta]

Most people are not pleased with the pre-fab coups. They are generally undersized and not very durable. If you and your husband are DIY inclined I would try to build my own. You would be able to customize it for your weather conditions. There is a lot of information on coops in the learning center i believe with plans and pictures to get ideas from. I think for heat a lot of people will put a heat lamp in the coup during the cold winter months. If have any more specific coup building questions hop over to that section of the forums and there are lots of helpful people there. Hope this helps.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! X2, you are usually better off to build/have built for you a coop, be sure to check out the Coop section https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coops... A great place to start for general info is the BYC Learning Center, lots of nice articles on all aspects of poultry keeping you'll find helpful with your new flock https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center and check out your state thread for chicken keeping neighbors https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/697050/michigan-thread-all-are-welcome/0_20

 

[FTCMRose314]

thank you for the welcome! I'm the one Leaning towards building a coop! i love to build things. My husband on the other hand is not the handy build it yourself type a guy. lol he would rather skip the work and pay extra to buy it pre- made. lol but its good to know that a lot of the pre made coops arent as well built as making your own. My husband thinks it will cost more to build too. We dont have a lot of money to spend on a chicken coop we are on a pretty tight budget. thanks again

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[drumstick diva]