Is it really this complicated? Feeling a bit overwhelmed!

[Marty1876]

I brooder still in cardboard boxes with litter in the bottem, set on top of a trash bag. I just use the boxes in the compost every 3 days when I change them for clean boxes.

Remember, you can read up on caging options in various threads, such as Coop vs Chicken Tracter https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/tractor-vs-permanent-coop-the-pros-cons

If you get right on building the coop, you can have it ready in time. Some of us are inspired much faster by need.

 

[scoot72]

I thought the same thing a few months ago. I did some research and was getting nowhere fast. Everything kept coming back to ( excuse the pun) what comes first the chicken or the egg. So I built a brooder that way when I got my chicks I would have some place to put them. Before I get to far let me say that I don't know about any other hatcheries but Ideal will do a partial order you will just have to pay a little more. I am the type of person that is pretty motivated but if their is a deadline then I know I have so long to get it done. So brooder built, called Ideal ,chicks on the way and 3-4weeks to get coop built. No Problem. Right..... Wrong. Didn't realize that they where addictive. I ordered 12 chicks from Ideal was gonna get a few more but they didn't have the Partridge Rock pullets (so me and my smart self added my name to the notify when ready list......WAIT FOR IT) and they said "do you want the extra room filled with males for warmth". I said sure....how many could we be talking about 2-3. Well when all the feathers where counted we had 24.The day after they arrived my wife gets a call from Ideal and guess what...They hatched more Partridge Rocks than what was expected. My wife knowing that I really wanted them thought it would be a nice surprise over supper so she told them sure we'll take a dozen. See she's still not grasped the concept that all puppies are cute but everyone grows up to be a dog thing and they asked her do you want the warmth added and all she is thinking about are these cute fuzzballs cheep cheeping. A long story short we now have around 48-49 they are really hard to count so now we have to build 4 different coops because the 8yr old has picked out her chicks, my wife has hers, I have my Parts and well lets just say we will be having chicken for dinner in a few weeks. But all in all its gonna be a fun ride. So however you need to get your motivation when the time is right you'll know and hey if your in East Tex come get some of mine.

 

[bruceha2000]

I don't have time tonight to read all the replies so I'll probably repeat some things others have said.

I am brand new to this, and am looking into what it would take to start a small flock. It doesn't seem like anything I couldn't learn, but it is starting to get complicated. Right now there are baby chicks everywhere for sale, but I can't bring them home yet because I don't have a coop. And once they come home the timer starts ticking. I am not sure if we're buying or building yet, and the latter will take who knows how long. I was thinking if my window to buy the chicks in stores runs out, then I can just order day old chicks online. But eveyone wants a minimum order of at least 15 and I don't want that many yet. I'm thinking like 4 to start. Ok, so maybe incubating? But incubators can get costly, and there is no way to determine how many chickens I will get and what sex. I really prefer to start with females as I hear males can be mean and I want fresh eggs. So if I incubate and get males, then what?I'm not trying to be overly picky, just simplify to start so I can learn the ropes.

So I'm kinda pulling my hair out a bit, thinking maybe I decided too late in the year. I dunno should I just scrap it and try next year? Am I am making this overly difficult? lol.. !

Any experienced chickeners have any words of encoragement/wisdom?

It is NOT complicated. I was a newbie last year, I was just barely thinking about MAYBE wanting to get some chickens at this time last year.

Getting chicks.
1) Some hatcheries ALWAYS have a minimum that may be more than you want. Others will sell many fewer, though there might be a small extra charge for "partial" boxes. And as some have already said, the minimum is frequently to make sure there are enough warm bodies to hold heat. Some will put in heat packs. Some will put in extra "free" chicks instead. You can be almost guaranteed that they will be cockerels.
I got mine from Ideal Poultry in Texas, ordered end of April, was aiming for July. They let you specify a date but it turns out they will move it to the earliest date they will have all the breeds you want. Some popular breeds are pretty much available all the time so NO RUSH!!!!!
2) WAIT until it will be reasonably warm but NOT hot to get them, they won't suffer from being too cold or hot in transit.
3) Make sure your P.O. knows you are getting chicks and what day at least a week ahead. My P.O. sees chicks all the time so they aren't "WHOA! What do I do with this!!!!????" They will tell you when the mail gets to that P.O. (about 5:30 am at ours) and will call you to pick them up. Nobody want them going the whole mail route to get to your house. Not you and not the P.O.

Raising chicks
1) It is not hard at all. Set up your brooder. Mine were in an unused bathtub in a bathroom off the mudroom. A neighbor had a really large cardboard box in their sun room. You could use an old playpen. It REALLY does not matter as long as you can reach inside to clean up an give them food and water.
2) I got a remote sensing thermostat used for reptile tanks (I think it was about $35). It plugs into the wall outlet and the heat lamp plugs into it. That way you don't have to screw around with "is the lamp high enough, is it low enough, when do I raise it?". And you aren't wasting electricity having a 150W or 250W heat lamp on all day and night for a month. The suggestions I had were week 1: 95F, week 2: 90F, week 3: 85F, week 4: 80F Boy was it hot in that bathroom!
3) I put newspaper down on the bottom of the bathtub and paper towels on top of that. Cleaning was primarily changing the paper towels. Put their food and water up off the floor a little so they don't walk all through it.
4) Check for pasty butt. If they get it, warm water on cotton swabs is all it takes. Don't rub, just let the warm water soften it up so you can wipe it off. We had one or two with it at a few days old and they were fine in a couple of days.
5) When they were a week old, I started tossing in piles of grass that had laid in the yard at least overnight after mowing the lawn. They loved messing in it and eating the tiny little bug I didn't even know were there.
6) Give them something to perch on a few inches off the bottom. They probably won't sleep on it just yet but they will want to stand on it.
7) Buy the 25 pound bag of chick starter. It costs about twice as much as the 5 pound bag. Depending on how many chicks you get it may last weeks or months.

The coop
1) They are CHICKENS. Their lives are sleeping, drinking and eating until they get old enough to lay eggs. Then it is sleeping, drinking, eating and laying eggs. The point being THEY don't care if their coop is the Taj Mahal or an eyesore made from what ever scraps you have around. Build what you like, can afford and have the time to do it.
The MOST important things about your coop:
a) Predator safe. That means 1/2" hardware cloth, NOT chicken wire, poultry stapled, (NOT "Arrow" staple gun stapled), or screwed with battens or washers over ALL openings other than the door ('cause they can't get out if the door opening is covered with wire

). All latches should require opposable thumbs to operate. Raccoons do not have opposable thumbs.

b) Ventilated. and NOT Drafty: They need fresh air or the ammonia from their poop will get toxic. So you want air to be able to enter and exit the coop but NOT be blowing over the roosts where they sleep. Check the coop pages here on BYC.
c) Roosts higher than the nest boxes. They like to sleep high. Mine are quite happy at 4' off the ground and would probably sleep higher if there were roosts. If the nests are higher than the roosts, they WILL sleep in them. Chickens poop while they sleep. 'nuf said.
d) make sure the water and food are OFF the floor or you'll spend all your time cleaning shavings or what ever you use on the floor out of the food and water. I made a nipple water pipe using saddle style nipples with the water bucket OUTSIDE the coop for easy filling. Their feeder is a simple piece of 4" PVC (about 30" tall because that is what I had) connected to the tray for a plastic flower pot (available separately, no need to buy the pot) with 4 small angle brackets. It hangs from the ceiling.

3) If you have the means, make the BIGGEST outdoor run you can, they will love hunting and foraging in the yard. BTW, begging for treats also counts as foraging in my flock

4) You haven't said how much space you have but make it bigger than you think it should be. You might want more chickens later. They won't complain if there is "too much" space. Especially if they are stuck in it for long periods of time.
5) Figure out dimensions that require little cutting. Dimensional lumber comes in 8', 10', 12', 14' and 16'. Sheet goods come 4'x8'.
6) You don't HAVE to have the coop ready before the chicks arrive but if you KNOW you have little time to build it and will get interrupted a lot, it doesn't hurt to have it done first. On the other hand, if you know you have weekends available and can estimate how long it will take, by all means don't let the fact that it doesn't exist yet keep you from ordering chicks. If something comes up, they can live in their brooder box another week. Mine went to the coop when they were 3.5 weeks old because they wouldn't stay in the bathtub any longer.
7) GROWN CHICKENS DO NOT NEED HEAT IN THE COOP. It got down to -20 F several times this past winter. They just puff up their natural, form fitting, down coats.

Logically you should have a coop before you get chicks; Yet, you have 6 weeks to make a coop and run from the time you get the chicks. Local feed stores usually carry chicks up to mid May so from now should have more than enough time to start a coop build and finish before you buy chicks.

Make sure you can have chickens in your location! Build or Buy your coop and run. Make a brooder area in your garage or house. Buy your chicks! As a beginner.... I would get chicks locally instead of incubating.... With basic wood tools and hard work you can build a coop in a few days.

Mostly agree. And incubating IS getting complicated. Don't agree on the 6 weeks in the brooder though. My 12 were outgrowing their bathtub much earlier than that.

They are loud and they smell. I'd have the coop ready first. Our brooder and grow out pens are even in the coop.

Define "loud". Yeah they peep and cheap. But I don't think anyone is suggesting you put the brooder in your bedroom.
Smell? Not so much, or it didn't bother me much. My wife and daughter said they smelled some. Just clean the brooder often.

Feed will last four days and water nipple system will make a gallon of water go two weeks with grass. Friends always ask to watch my chickens and kids play with them (the only rule is the coop is a safe zone, no chasing inside the coop) and I always give the attending all eggs.

Chasing the chickens MUST NEVER BE ALLOWED!!!!!! It is ABUSE.
Chickens are PREY animals. Do you REALLY want to strike fear in their tiny little hearts?

Feed will last as long as it lasts. If you have a little 1 quart feeder and 12 chickens it won't last a day. If you build a feeder that holds 50 pounds and have 4 chickens, it will last a month or more. Same with the water. If you have a 10 gallon source for your nipple waterer, it will last a long time. Less when it is hot. But you still have to clean the source bucket, or it will get a bit slimy. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) presumably helps with this and is good for them (1 tablespoon per gallon I THINK, check elsewhere on BYC).

But for those who are worried they might not be home for a day or two or three while the chicks are still in the brooder - DON'T GET THEM YET. You need to check on them several times a day. Once they are grown and out in the coop, you let them out into the run after the sun comes up and close them back in when it gets dark. They will put themselves to bed at dusk. If you have to be gone a day or three, just make sure they have enough food and water. If you have trustworthy neighbors, friends, family, they can do "chicken duty".

Yet another BTW: Assuming it is above freezing, an egg will EASILY be good a week or more after it is laid WITHOUT REFRIGERATION. DO NOT wash them unless they are poopie, you are just removing the NATURAL PROTECTION applied by the chicken. Consider: A chicken doesn't lay ONE egg then sit on it until it hatches. They lay MANY eggs over a PERIOD OF DAYS then sit them. Fertile eggs won't develop unless they are kept warm by the hen or incubator. Meaning - if you have to be gone over the weekend and have no one to cover - DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. Just make sure they have enough food, water and space. This is for birds fully feathered and known to be self sufficient in the coop, not week old chicks.

Bruce

 

[taunikelley]

I am also very new to this. We have owned our first batch of 8 pullet chicks for a whopping 2.5 weeks now. Highly recommend buying "A CHICKEN IN EVERY YARD" by Robert & Hannah Litt, published by Ten Speed Press Berkeley. Amazing book that will give you really helpful information including a simple coop blueprint. We started building our coop right after a law allowing 6 urban hens passed in October. We modeled our coop after many found on this website. We had it about 95% finished when we brought home our chicks. I really do recommend at least having a well thought out plan for a coop prior to getting chicks, makes life easier.

Our brooder: 45 gal tote in a large wire dog kennel. Both of which we had on hand. I do admit that it is getting a little tight in there. Thankfully when the weather is around 60 degrees we let them spend a few hours in the coop and run outside. They LOVE outside time.

At 2.5 weeks old they have been weaned off the heat lamp during the day (our brooder is in a 70 degree house and there are 8 of them for snuggling). None have shown signs of being cold. The light at night is mainly because they are afraid of the dark.


We have tarred the edge and about 6in under roof for waterproofing...Forgot to allow space for roof flashing.


Our coop: 4x4 coop with 4x8 run. Total cost about $600. I have a cousin who spent less than $100. It will be what you want it to be. Planned to house 6 hens we think we may cut back to 5 or expand run. Time will tell. Many have considered their coop to be a constant work in progress and I fear that may be the case for us also. We are already planning modifications to food and water delivery.


2 wk old: 2 Buff Orpington, 2 Black Australorp, 1 White Plymouth Rock, 1 New Hampshire Red, 1 Speckled Sussex, and 1 Araucana (most likely Easter Egger). All purchased from Big R.

Best of luck and have fun.

 

[TrentonMc]

We bought our chicks last Sept. I don't know about your area, but we found a local breeder on Kansas City craigs list that went to a different feed store every weekend selling chicks. The store knew and recommended him. We bought 22 chicks and only lost 1.

 

[blondvet]

I'll admit, I didn't read this whole thread. But get a copy of Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens. It's a great book and will help you with so many issue when you're first starting out. I agree with everyone else, get the coop set up first. Figure out how many layers you want, then double or triple that number, and then set up a coop to house that many. You'll be surprised at how much you'll come to love them! Good luck!

 

[BuffOrpington88]

I'll admit, I didn't read this whole thread. But get a copy of Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens. It's a great book and will help you with so many issue when you're first starting out. I agree with everyone else, get the coop set up first. Figure out how many layers you want, then double or triple that number, and then set up a coop to house that many. You'll be surprised at how much you'll come to love them! Good luck!

X2. Great book.

 

[tommysgirl]

I am in the minority I guess...we got our chicks with just a brooder set up then got the coop when they were about a month old.

I found the coop on craigslist and got one that was premade. My husband built a beautiful enclosure for the run meanwhile our girls happily ran around in their wading pool brooder. I figured it was like when I didn't have a diaper in the house and delivered twins a month early.... you get done what yo need to get done by the time it needs to get done

If you decide to get started pullets craigslist is a good source expect to spend 12-15 dollars or so per.

 

[busymadre]

There are pro and cons on when to get the coop. It's also a personal preference thing too. Think you need to be certain you really are going to do the whole chicken thing before you buy a coop.
My DH and I had chickens when my kids were very young (they are all now adults - mostly; still have a 17 year old). At that time, we had a neighbor who had chickens that she let free range and I was a stay-at-home mom looking for ways to be economical. Getting fresh eggs seemed like a great idea. Didn't do a lot of research since having internet at home wasn't a normality at that time. My daughter brought home some chicks from school and we bought some others so we bought a build-yourself shed and made it into a coop, fencing in a lot area for a run. We didn't cover the run, but it was under some trees so that's probably why we didn't have any losses due to animals.

This time around, we wanted to make things look better so it wouldn't be an "eye-sore". It was right before Christmas when we started talking about this whole idea. Decided I wanted to start with 6 ee chicks so they would get use to us. Knew they wouldn't be available until early spring so I started checking this site out for coop designs. Found several I liked - a little from each - so I printed out the closest picture of one that had most of what i wanted. We "hired" a friend to build a coop and talked the design over with him. We have a 4 X 6 coop with three nesting boxes on the outside to save space on the inside. By the time we started construction, I already had the chicks (Feb 6th). Knew it wouldn't be warm enough for them to be outside full time until almost April so we had time. Bought the materials a little at a time due to money availability. For me, having the chicks gave us a completion deadline and kept us focused on following thru with the project. The run is complete except for the roof (chicks were out in it last weekend - put a temp tarp roof on so the hawks wouldn't swoop in), but still inside due to some cold weather coming our way. The coop itself is almost complete. Just a few cosmetic things to add (roost bars, poop boards, lenolium on the floor for easier cleaning). My builder has been busy with other projects, but will have it done before the girls need to be out there full time.
Brooder: We started them off in a dog pen in the laundry room. When they were about a month old, we decided to move them to the garage in a larger penned area being sure to put a covering on top so they didn't fly out like they can do at this age. We actually have 7 girls now. One of the original 6 chicks has a "scissor" beak. The person who sold them to us is a friend from church and felt bad, so she gave us another one for free (just in case that one doesn't make it. she struggles to eat and is smaller than the others, but is hanging in there)
Anyway, enjoy the process. I am looking forward to getting eggs again. My granddaughter is loving the whole process too. She has to see the "cluck-clucks" as soon as she comes in the door.

 

[wildpeas]

There has been some great advice on this thread. For me, the most important thing is to have a plan before you get the chicks. We have some experience brooding since we have ducks and geese, so I am not very worried about the coop that hasn't been built yet. I have six chicks in a very large horse water trough right now, they have enough room for a few weeks worth of growth. When they out grow their space they will move out to the garage to a large dog run. We will also have a portable chick enclosure for them to go outside in while the coop is being built, they will return to the garage at night or when the weather gets bad. The plans for the coop have been drawn up and the site fixed but building will depend completely on the weather. Try to just keep the basics in mind to avoid being overwhelmed. Chicks need room to grow, a heat source until feathered, a safe place to be outside in, fresh food and water, and a house to live in when they are grown.