How to convince parents? Please help!

[hopingforchickens]

I would definitely get at least 2, chickens are flock animals. If the free sheds you found are in good shape you should be able to add a couple of windows and some hardware cloth covered ventilation pretty cheap. Check for used windows on Craigs List or a Habitat store if you have one. Chickens don't need fancy

That Eglu is indeed expensive.

I had the idea to look for swing sets on craigslist because they already have the framing to possibly become a coop with an attached run, and they're fairly large. Honestly I can't do much more to change their minds at this point, as the date is set for the chickens to come in a few days. We agreed on a three month trial period for them, and in that time I'll be home most of the day (quarantine and summer vacation!) for most days. I'll try to let them out as much as possible, and I'll try to slooooooowly convince them to maybe let me try making a swing set from craigslist into a coop.

 

[hopingforchickens]

May I suggest looking into other birds, if you are unable to make headway on locating a larger coop? Quail make engaging pets and they require far less space.

Quail are adorable, but I don't think that my parents would go for it. It took a WHILE to get them to the point of trying chickens, and that's only because two of our family friends have them. I also mentioned ducklings at one point (without mentioning space etc.) and I did NOT get a good reaction. I'll try to give the chickens as much to do as possible, even without too much space. I'm thinking about making them a swing, and/or a little ladder-y thing for them to hop on.

 

[waytomanychickens]

I have gone the whole 9 yards with this. I've done my research, I put together a presentation for why we should get chickens. They agreed, but things went downhill from there: the problem is the coop that they want. I convinced them to get three chickens (can't do one, if you have two and one dies there's a problem), aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand then we came to the coop. They want a coop sold by a local farm: 3 by 3 coop with a three by three run.This won't work, which I am well aware of. I've explained to them why it's not good, showed them other options, offered to do *literally all the work* building a coop. I don't have a credit card or anything like that, so any purchases would have to go through parents first. I have about $70 for spending money and $1,700 in my savings account (that I'm not supposed to spend from) What should I do? I've explained and explained, but if I keep going they'll just call off the chickens entirely. Help!

perhaps a 60\40 compromise would work? if you are going to start with baby chicks a coop that small will work pretty good as a starter\brooder [if it is really predator proof] and getting it and the chicks would get your foot in the door to work on a roomier pen for when they get bigger. how big is your yard? is it already fenced? do you have a dog? $70 will buy at least one or two rolls of moderate fence and some step in posts to keep it up if your yard doesn't have any kind of fence around it already. if your parents are totally against the chickens getting to be out of the coop at all i would say it is definitely not big enough, but if they are willing to let the chickens have some time to free range it would be at least a start

 

[hopingforchickens]

perhaps a 60\40 compromise would work? if you are going to start with baby chicks a coop that small will work pretty good as a starter\brooder [if it is really predator proof] and getting it and the chicks would get your foot in the door to work on a roomier pen for when they get bigger. how big is your yard? is it already fenced? do you have a dog? $70 will buy at least one or two rolls of moderate fence and some step in posts to keep it up if your yard doesn't have any kind of fence around it already. if your parents are totally against the chickens getting to be out of the coop at all i would say it is definitely not big enough, but if they are willing to let the chickens have some time to free range it would be at least a start

They are not against letting them out, and because of quarantine and summer vacation, I will be able to supervise them when they're in the yard. The part of the yard where the coop will be has fencing around it, but not the whole yard. We don't have a dog, but we do have a cat. I am thinking of making a play set into a coop, because it already has the framing for a coop and attached run. I'll try to slowly convince for that.

 

[LaFleche]

We decided to start with three barred rock hens (already adults, from the farm) because I honestly don't care as long as there's chickens and they are my parents' favorite breed. My ideal setup would be keeping those hens and later adding an easter egger, a lavender orpington, and a silver laced cochin.

Beautiful breeds and you will have a nice colourful egg basket.

 

[Grace8269]

I was in your shoes once too. I fought long and hard to convince my parents to get 3 chickens. And guess what? I won. I am now the proud chicken mama of Quinn, Regina, and Flash. First things first, you have to be aware of the laws around your area. Can you even have chickens in your neighborhood? For me, my issue was that in the state I lived in, I had to get a minimum of 6 chickens. I got 6, and then gave 3 away to a friend of mine. I got mine from Tractor Supply by the way. I would also recommend getting a coop from Tractor Supply. I know that coops can be pricey, so you could always make one to fit your custom needs. Make sure to be careful about where you place the coop, and remember to keep it far away from woods, if possible. I convinced my parents that I was responsible, and that chickens were easy to take care of. I hope this helps.

 

[Crestcrazy2]

I have gone the whole 9 yards with this. I've done my research, I put together a presentation for why we should get chickens. They agreed, but things went downhill from there: the problem is the coop that they want. I convinced them to get three chickens (can't do one, if you have two and one dies there's a problem), aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand then we came to the coop. They want a coop sold by a local farm: 3 by 3 coop with a three by three run.This won't work, which I am well aware of. I've explained to them why it's not good, showed them other options, offered to do *literally all the work* building a coop. I don't have a credit card or anything like that, so any purchases would have to go through parents first. I have about $70 for spending money and $1,700 in my savings account (that I'm not supposed to spend from) What should I do? I've explained and explained, but if I keep going they'll just call off the chickens entirely. Help!

If your parents do buy it you could always add on too it !

 

[bruceha2000]

For me, my issue was that in the state I lived in, I had to get a minimum of 6 chickens. I got 6, and then gave 3 away to a friend of mine. I got mine from Tractor Supply by the way.

That would be a TSC minimum requirement, not a state requirement. Lots of cities have rules about max # of chickens, often 5, and no roosters. That makes the TSC minimum a bit difficult!

Quite honestly I wouldn't buy any of the commercially available chicken coops that I've seen. Poor quality materials and they will claim you can house 3 to 4 times the number of birds as would be reasonable. You can pretty easily throw together a 4'x8' coop with some studs and a few sheets of exterior grade plywood.