Introducing myself

JerseyGray · Sep 5, 2014

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.

LIChickens · Sep 5, 2014

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.

Rocky Rhodes · Sep 5, 2014

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.

TwoCrows · Sep 5, 2014

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!

Michael OShay · Sep 5, 2014

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.

BantamLover21 · Sep 5, 2014

Glad you joined us!

Feel free to ask lots of questions! We're all here to help.

drumstick diva · Sep 5, 2014

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.

Kelsie2290 · Sep 5, 2014

Hello and Welcome To BYC!

Mountain Peeps · Sep 5, 2014

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

gander007 · Sep 7, 2014

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Introducing myself

JerseyGray Hatching

LIChickens Chirping

Rocky Rhodes Songster

TwoCrows Bird is the Word Staff Member Premium Member 7 Years

Michael OShay Crowing

BantamLover21 Crowing 5 Years

drumstick diva Still crazy after all these years. Premium Member 8 Years

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