hi all from swpa

[coop-de-cluck]

Hi all! Just wanted to say awesome sight for a newbie in chicken life! A little bit about us and our chicks. My oldest daughter had been saying for a while that she wanted some new peeps,we had some a few years ago and a bear ate them before we had a chance to enjoy them. This time were hoping to have better luck! Were very new to this but were trying our best to do everything right and the group on here prior to us joining helped a lot by reading some of the past posts. We have a mixed batch of chicks and they are all still pretty young,17 total! We have 5 leghorns,5 austrolorps,3 easter eggers,2plymouth rocks and 2 red pullets!! Not sure if it is wise to have that many different breeds but.they all get along and seem to enjoy our company! My daughters and I (9 and 7) built the coop out of all used material except for the fence. The coop itself is 6-8 with 4 nesting boxes and the run is 6-18 and were trying to talk mom into letting us add on!! We don't know how many roosters we have yet but going by info and opinions on here I think we have a few,guess time will tell. But just wanted to say glad to be a part of this,can't wait to talk chicken and I will.post some pictures asap. Any input or opinions would be greatly appreciated cause like I said we are new to this and we enjoy learning and definitely enjoy sitting beside the coop and watching! Thx again

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC!

Please make yourself at home and we are here to help! Sounds like you are off to a great start! The one thing I think you should change is your number of nests. You need more! Try and have 1 per every two hens. Also, put a roof on your run to protect against predators. Other than that, it sounds like you've got everything right! I've attached some links for you to explore too.

Again, welcome to the community!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center
https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coops
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/advice-for-first-time-chicken-owners
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-predators-pests-how-to-protect-treat-your-flock
http://www.fresh-eggs-daily.com/2014/03/nesting-box-wars.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/feeding-at-different-ages

 

[coop-de-cluck]

Thank you,we've been discussing more nests but the only reason I didn't add any yet is I found a lot of opinions where the majority seemed to be 1 nest to 4 birds. Adding more won't be a problem but I also was kinda waiting to see how many roosters I had! I seen somewhere where it is recommended 1 rooster per 11 hens?? Does that sound right? And the top of my run is fenced over with wood supports every 2 ft. And thank you for the links

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Thank you,we've been discussing more nests but the only reason I didn't add any yet is I found a lot of opinions where the majority seemed to be 1 nest to 4 birds. Adding more won't be a problem but I also was kinda waiting to see how many roosters I had! I seen somewhere where it is recommended 1 rooster per 11 hens?? Does that sound right? And the top of my run is fenced over with wood supports every 2 ft. And thank you for the links

I nest to 4 birds is not accurate. That's a good idea; waiting to see how many roos you turn up with. And yes the rule is one roo for every 1-10 hens. But, if they are raised together, some roos can live peacefully together.

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

Mountain peeps X2 on the nest boxes and roo to hen ratio...I tend to offer 1 nest box per every 2 or 3 hens. Helps with waiting lines, arguing and of course broodies that hog up boxes for weeks on end. And 1 roo to 8 to 12 hens is a good ratio. Sometimes you can get a couple of roos that when raised together do get along so you will have to watch closely.

Enjoy this new adventure you are on and welcome to our flock!

 

[coop-de-cluck]

. This is in the beginning stages of the build. My daughters are putting the roof on in this pic! They were possibly the best help I've ever had!!

 

[coop-de-cluck]

This is close to the finishing stages,still have a little left to do! And as of now I'm guessing I will probably be adding some more nesting boxes!!

 

[Mountain Peeps]

This is close to the finishing stages,still have a little left to do! And as of now I'm guessing I will probably be adding some more nesting boxes!!

. This is in the beginning stages of the build. My daughters are putting the roof on in this pic! They were possibly the best help I've ever had!!

Looks great!!

 

[coop-de-cluck]

Thanks!! My daughters are very proud of what we've accomplished this far!! I have 2 sons to that are 6-4 and they are finally showing some interest! My youngest 1 sits back there quite often and talks to them and hangs out with them!! I never really thought chickens could be so fun! We all have are own jobs to do,feeding, water,cleaning the coop. We all do our own part and its helping teach the kids responsibility. Probably 1 of the best investments we've ever made!!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Good luck with your new flock and coop build, looks like you have a very nice start so far!