I have two laying hens in my backyard. Their my girls pets and our egg supply though we still buy from the store as well. I think it's been around six months we've had them now so it's well past time I start learning more about keeping them! I feel our coop is to small for two full-sized hens. A pre-made we bought off Amazon, a lot of reviewers did say they found it a good size for a pair of banties but not full-size. It was supposed to be more temporary than it has been, haha. The biddies are let into the yard around 7 am and locked back in the pen around 7 pm (they have full access to our large and securely fenced backyard). We get one to two eggs a day. I forget what kind they are offhand, I'll have to ask my friend again (bought them from a friend thinning her flock), but one is red while the other is speckled black and white.
Welcome to BYC! You will find a lot of good information. Ask a question and you will get many good answers. Read the FAQ below.
Welcome from Georgia!!! How big is your coop? If they free-range during the day they don't need a lot of room to sleep.
Hello there and welcome to BYC! So glad you could join our community! The one thing that comes to mind with a small coop is proper ventilation. Not enough room between the roost bar and the ceiling can cause lots of frost bite in the winter. So make sure you have plenty of venting in your roof and keep the birds roosting low to the floor as possible so the warm moist air from all the pooping and the breathing has some place to go other than lingering around the combs and causing issues. Enjoy your birds and welcome to our flock!
Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. The rule of thumb on coop space is a minimum of 4 sq. ft. per bird (more is better). Overcrowding can quickly lead to aggression, fighting, feather plucking, and even cannibalism. If you want to post some pics of your hens, perhaps we can ID the breeds for you. Also you can post them on our What Breed or Gender is This? section at https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/15/what-breed-or-gender-is-this and let our experts there take a look at them. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your flock.
What is your climate like? If you have harsh winters where the girls will want to stay inside the coop most of the day - it will be much too crowded for that. Welcome to the flock.
