Hi, we have no chickens or coop yet

[Dominique King]

All I can tell you for now is he’s gorgeous lol

 

[Lexie27]

We are here to help!

And you do, I particularly find the health section with pictures is especially helpful. It helps me to know what I need to have on hand and how to identify problems before they kill the bird.

It’s a huge responsibility to take care of another life.

 

[Dominique King]

And you do, I particularly find the health section with pictures is especially helpful. It helps me to know what I need to have on hand and how to identify problems before they kill the bird.

It’s a huge responsibility to take care of another life.

I have 23 chickens 2 dogs, and 2 indoor birds so I have a lot lol!

 

[Debbie292d]

Hiya, and welcome to BYC!

Very smart to start with the coop first. Here's our Coop Forum for ideas.

After that, you'll need to know some tips and tricks about raising chicks, so head over to our Learning Center which has tons of great articles.

Make yourself at home here, and good luck with your plans!

 

[Lexie27]

I have 23 chickens 2 dogs, and 2 indoor birds so I have a lot lol!

Heck yeah you do! Lol I currently have two older dogs (Catahoula Leopard Dog and a muscular Scrappy Doo Dog).
We had parakeets and parrots when I was growing up, but that’s not chickens and a long time ago.
I’m equally excited and terrified lol

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

We’re taking in an under 1 year old rooster that the neighbor doesn’t want. I don’t know his breed, super sweet and the hens pick on him.

We have a 10’x10x6’ welded dog kennel sitting on 8” of concrete that we’ll wrap in 1/2 hardware cloth, 19 gauge.

In for a penny, in for a pound. May as well get him some hens and a house.

The max we’d want is 8 including the rooster, especially being new to chicken keeping. But we also want some extra space for when the girls get old and you need new. The coop would be walk in on a down slope (hubs is in construction and knows to raise and account for drainage in both run and under coop. What is the very least space we could go with, (we will 100% go bigger, I’m a bird girl, and we’re not trying to make a profit, just healthy happy animals).
We were planning on a 10’x 12’ slanted roof from 8’ to 6’ but I’m a bit worried that might be too big for a coop with no electricity. Two windows on north and east side big vent on west. Enough ventilation?

Thoughts? Suggestions?

nothing useful in the carpentry area, but I do know birds. If you are beginners who want hens but don't have much experience, my top 4 recommendations are: Australorp, Orpington, Plymouth Rock, Silkie. just know that some silkies have "vaults", or holes in their skulls, which would make them weaker than the other breeds. they are on the list due to calm demeanor and beauty.

 

[Lexie27]

nothing useful in the carpentry area, but I do know birds. If you are beginners who want hens but don't have much experience, my top 4 recommendations are: Australorp, Orpington, Plymouth Rock, Silkie. just know that some silkies have "vaults", or holes in their skulls, which would make them weaker than the other breeds. they are on the list due to calm demeanor and beauty.

I don’t think I want Silkies as cute as they are. I have seen a lot of breeders say they’re not very hearty, susceptible to injury and illness.

 

[Lexie27]

I don’t think I want Silkies as cute as they are. I have seen a lot of breeders say they’re not very hearty, susceptible to injury and illness.

Not saying they’re not great birds, but probably not bomb proof entry level.
I’m worried enough about providing good care, lol

 

[DobieLover]

Hello Lexie, and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.

wo windows on north and east side big vent on west. Enough ventilation?

Not really.
You want to shoot for as close to 1sq ft of permanently open ventilation per bird in the coop with more than can be opened up during hot weather.
You also want 1 linear foot of unobstructed roost space and 4 sq ft of floor space per bird in the coop. You want to shoot for an additional 12-15 sq ft in the run especially if you plan to expand the flock.

We were planning on a 10’x 12’ slanted roof from 8’ to 6’ but I’m a bit worried that might be too big for a coop with no electricity.

If your DH is in construction, he should be able to run a circuit out to the coop. It is very convenient to have electricity in the coop so be able to work out there at night. Or to have a heated water source out in the run.

 

[MapleLaurelFarms]

Hello from just outside of Boone NC! We have a coop about this size (6'x12'ish) with no electricity. We free range and also have a protected run, but I keep about a dozen chickens in it year around so your size should be fine if you can give them some grazing space. If not, I'd probably only keep about 4-6 birds max in this space. They'll take all you can give them and get peevish quickly without roaming room.

You don't need electricity in a coop, even in the NC mountains. We have a solar panel that handles extra lighting in winter along with an extension cord to keep water heated, but that's only about half the year or less. You'll need it even less where you are. Best wishes!