Hi. looking to start my own coop

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bbigjohn

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Rosamond Ca. Mojave Desert Antelope Valley
hello all,

looking for advice and how to start my own coop with 6-12 chickens.

i have a typical 1/4 acre lot in California. but i also have 4 dogs (black lab, boarder collie, and my wife's 2 small dogs) that i have to keep out of the chicken run. any advice on that would be great.

looking forward to learning all about chickens and raising them.

John
 
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Hi! :frow Welcome to BYC!

You’re planning 6 to 12 chickens, so build at least large enough for the 12. That’s the minimum you’ll have in the long run. If you have the space, go bigger than that. The “rule of thumb” on here is the coop should provide 4 sf per chicken and the run should have 10 sf per chicken. I would go with more space. I recommend a coop that you can walk into, perhaps a converted shed. There are a lot of good threads in the coop building forum with pictures of coops. Take the time to read those before building. I wish I had. Using 1/4” hardware cloth as the sides of a covered run will keep the dogs and other predators out. Then you need perches, obstacles and several feeding and watering stations. Chickens that don’t free range need things in their runs to keep them safe from any bullies in the flock and to be entertained.

Well that’s a start. If I had known about this site before I got my first chicks I would have read everything I could before I started.

You will love having chickens!!!
 
Hello, and welcome to BYC. There is a lot of information on coop builds. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/chicken-coops.12/
Spend time doing your research. Building a coop is an investment money-wise, as well as physical labor. Mistakes can be costly, so the research pays off in the long run. Take your climate into consideration. What works in one climate, may be totally unsuitable in another climate. Consider the predators in your area, and use appropriate materials to protect your flock from them, and/or electric fencing. Predators include stray dogs, and cats, as well as wildlife. Take into consideration the work involved in your flock's routine care. Make it as easy on yourself as you can, and can afford. When first starting out, beware of overcrowding. Chicks don't need much space, but they will need a lot more when they grow up. More space for them is better, than not enough space. The rule of thumb is 4 x 4 per chicken, however, the more space you provide, the better off everyone will be.
 
:welcome

Hi John, it's nice to have you here with us!

I see you're located in California...you may want to ask other members in your general vicinity what works best for keeping chickens comfortable in your climate. Here's a link to the state threads:
find-your-states-thread.270925

You'll see CA has 2 threads, one for the north and one for the south so just choose whichever one best fits your location.

Best wishes!
 

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