I'm new and looking for all the good advice in how to from step one

[Carcajou]

from NY state. Best of luck and hope BYC will be a great resource for you!

 

[Dragonsfly2]

I loved the 'tractor' coop ideas too when we first started, but I quickly considered that the 'flat sides' had to meet 'flat ground' and my ground was gently rolling and even in the flat zones, was uneven (not a residential lawn) and the young birds might escape, predators could get in during the day and all manner of oops's.

We had an older coop that we used for a few years, then finally built one with mostly recycled materials.
We built a 9 x 12 coop with a yard about 5 times that size and it served us for many years.
Putting a wire roof on the yard was probably the biggest job, but the most satisfying when I would sit by my birds and see the red tail hawks sitting high up, drooling but unable to get to my birds.
Ya me!!!

The wire walls didn't stop a bear one time thou...but not much will.
And we thought it was a young bear because we never had that sort of trouble again. Whew.

Our municipality had rules as to the size of outbuilding, and how big before it required a building permit....erg....
a 10 x 10 shed is commonly for sale at any hardware type store, but here, the magic number was 108 sq ft.
hence the 9x12.
A light or two for winter, high and low perches for the birds, good ventilation and a consideration for clean out (a large flip up door flush with the floor made that job easy peasy) were our best options.
If opting for a big and small door, just do one size....sigh...silly me. (for the birds that is)
And if keeping in the winter, if you have enough birds, they will be comfy enough without needing a heat source (I'm in Eastern Ontario, and it's rather cold in winter here...lol)
If you have too few birds, they may get cold, but a low light bulb can help there too.

Good luck, have fun, read lots, and practice anything that makes sense to you til you find things that work for you, your birds and your style of keeping.
Not everyone's advice works in every situation.
Cheers
Jenny

oh...and consider a dust bath box or something, for the hens to keep themselves and feather's healthy. Read up on mite control. That can spread fast and can also be fairly easily controlled on a maintenance basis. (we used some sand and ashes mixed for them)

New birds, keep separate, inspect for mites, dust if you think you want to be sure, So, in building, consider a quarantine area, for newbies, or for sick ones to keep separate from the rest. Sounds a bit of extra work? It's worth it when you need it. And works great when you use it.

 

[weimarmama]

&

from Alabama. Glad you joined us.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Approximately a year ago today I found this website after a discussion and inspiration with a friend. My son snuck up behind me at the breakfast bar while I was trying to hide the computer screen from my husband who was raiding the fridge (I still remember the moment). "MOM! are we going to get chickens?!?" Busted! Husband slowly backed out of the fridge turned around and looked at me and our son right in the eye and said, "NO!" --haha!

I had an old door and some old paned windows I saved for a "play house" for my kids. With those treasures in mind (the things I knew I had access to) and the kids' vote for a coop over a playhouse-- I started surfing the coops pages and two months later during an unseasonably warm March we began construction and our chicken adventure. I had spent hours looking and reviewing and deciding on a plan which I drew up on graph paper. I thought chicken tractor at first--easier project perhaps--fewer materials--expense. But with the door and the windows I had access to and a construction site with "whoops" boards and castoffs, I did a 5x6 foot coop, which I adore and adds charm to my property. There's a few things I'd do different for sure and I'm always tweaking because it's addictive to improve things for your chickens. I also don't heat my coop, but you'll need to figure out keeping water from freezing and now I wish I would have built the nest boxes more "inside" the coop than an extended portion of the coop....yah-dah yah dah yah dah. You'll live and learn that's for sure, but it's surely worth the ride.

Those chickens make us laugh everyday and there's always a chicken story. Even I catch the "fridge raider" sharing a chicken story or two and bragging about the coop.

Research. There's a ton to know and learn, but it's so interesting and you'll love it.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

From Step one will be determining how many birds you can have or want. Then you'll need to think one or two more birds

x4 square feet per bird. That's the size of the coop you'll need. #2 thought will be the style you like which will incorporate where your nest boxes and roosts will be oriented along with food and water. #3 Free ranging? or Build a run to go with the coop? If you're going to do a Run. this should be 10 square feet per bird.

Now you're probably ready to draw up a plan and go from there. That's how I did it...

 

[myfinefeatheredfriends]

Welcome to BYC from Ohio! Glad you joined us!

 

[dam danny]

some of the best coops I hve ever seen were made from old lumber reused and reused tin and you keep cost down make su you put tin in the ground about 6 to 10 inchs this keep thengs like foxs from digging under if you have a lot of hawks around cover the top with chicken wire or whhat ever kind you have d good luck