Hopeful new chicken owner

[L66wlt]

Hi all, new to BYC and hopefully a chicken owner in the near future. Been considering a small flock for our garden for some time now and due to corona and some time off work, now seems a good time to get started.
I'm not sure what coop and run set up is a good option. Would really like to build it my self. I've seen a lot of carolina coops style set ups and really like it but is that too much for a first try at keeping chickens.
We have a 3 year old son and would like to get him involved with the chickens so a run seems a good way of integrating child and chickens together slowly. Anyone any advice on coop size and amount of chickens for beginners?

Thanks

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC. All of your questions are addressed in the below resources:

• Great go-to resource - Articles
• Insightful feedback on how members manage their flocks - Topic of the Week back-catalogue
• Good link to read before building a coop / run - Space requirements
• Find other BYC members nearby using the links in my signature, below.
• Hatching / Chick-care

Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[TwoShepherds]

Hello and welcome! Congrats on your decision to keep chickens...they are truly addicting and lots of fun with kids. In general aim for 4 square feet per chicken in the coop and 10 square feet per chicken in the run, and you might want to leave a some extra room to expand the flock in the future. Best of luck and keep us updated!

 

[N F C]

Hi, thanks for joining us!

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
Spend some time reading the coop articles. Read the ones with the highest ratings.
Although I like Carolina Coops, I wouldn't recommend one because I've had both non- walk-in style and walk-in style and I would NEVER recommend a non-walk-in style. Ever. Also consider converting a shed into a coop.
For a beginner flock, stick to 6 to 10 birds.

 

[L66wlt]

Hi and welcome to BYC. All of your questions are addressed in the below resources:

• Great go-to resource - Articles
• Insightful feedback on how members manage their flocks - Topic of the Week back-catalogue
• Good link to read before building a coop / run - Space requirements
• Find other BYC members nearby using the links in my signature, below.
• Hatching / Chick-care

Best wishes

Pork Pie

Thanks for the reply and links for some further reading.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I have a "crouch-in" style in that I can "walk in" to the coop but only by ruining my spine by crouching in the process. If I could have a do-over I would buy a shed and convert it, or just build it myself! I paid $500 for a good quality used coop, but for the cost, I could have built it myself.

 

[L66wlt]

Hello and welcome! Congrats on your decision to keep chickens...they are truly addicting and lots of fun with kids. In general aim for 4 square feet per chicken in the coop and 10 square feet per chicken in the run, and you might want to leave a some extra room to expand the flock in the future. Best of luck and keep us updated!

Thanks for the space tips I'll keep that in mind for when I'm sizing out my coop/run. I'll post pics once it gets going but struggling to find places open to deliver timber due to corona virus

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Welcome to our FUNomenal community!
Best of luck with building your perfect coop!

 

[L66wlt]

I have a "crouch-in" style in that I can "walk in" to the coop but only by ruining my spine by crouching in the process. If I could have a do-over I would buy a shed and convert it, or just build it myself! I paid $500 for a good quality used coop, but for the cost, I could have built it myself.

Thank you for the input. My only concern is my back garden is only about 16 or 17 meters long by about 11 meters wide so quite like the idea of having the run go under the coop. I'll have a look on here and see coop ideas and how to best maximise my space options