Well the chicken bug has bitten me and I needed to add to my flock. I ordered 6 B.O.'s 6 RIR's and 6 SLW's from the local feed store. They are not getting here until the first week of May so it should be warmer and the 3 ft of snow we have on the ground SHOULD be gone by then. They will eventually be joining my other 7 chickens wandering the yard and laying out some eggs. Ray the rooster is going to be one happy boy I am thinking I will need to have around a 4x12 coop for the new chickens my current coop is 4x8 and it has 8 birds in it.
So, you're going to have 31 birds then, right? At 4 sq ft per bird, 4 x 12 will be very tight. 4 sf x 31 = 124 sq ft. 4 x 12 = 48 sq ft. So, I think you really need more like 10x12 rather than 4 x 12. Even 8x12 is tight for that many birds if they have to be locked in for any amt of time, like when you have lots of snow.
Lucky you chix, new babies and a new coop!!! You need to change you name to manychix or lotsachix or loadsachix or plentychix or....well you get the idea, loL!!
And just because you're getting more, don't fool yourself into thinking that's the end of it, LOL. BUILD BIG! You're already showing symptoms of Chickenitis.
I just started last April and it's real contagious.If I could give a word of warning to the wise.Try to think out what you really want to do before you do it.I can think of many things that I wish I had done and now it's hard to change it.
I was thinking the same thing, OVERBUILD! I am going to have to do the same thing, we have 2 roosters and 8 hens from last spring, and on Saturday my daughter "twisted my arm" into getting 6 chicks, and then I decided today to go see what else they got in, and picked up another 4- because they are leap year chicks!!!! AND, there are some more I want to get later in the week with the next shipment! I definately have the bug too!!!! They are irresistable!!!!