Jumping into it now (chickens)

[FarmerMackDaddy]

After a few years of thinking about raising chickens, I'm finally going to do it slowly.

I just retired and have nothing to do so I told my wife ...I'm going to do this!!

I want to take this slowly and want advice.

I want to start off with 4 birds. Is this a good idea for a novice?
What is the best size coop? Is it easier for a novice to build a coop or buy one?

Whats the best food? Protein? etc.

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[Aapomp831]

4 birds is a great idea, but once you get into chickens it becomes addictive!! I would definitely build a larger coop (ones you see online for sale say they house lots of chickens but they DONT, the first coop we bought turned into our chicken quarantine quarters/brooder) because you will want more and more. And the feed that you give them depends on their age. You can read the guidelines right on the back of the chicken feed bags. Here is a pic of the coop my husband built which is 14 by 3 and houses 14 chickens. That first coop pic is the small $250 one we bought online and claimed to hold 6 chickens. Wrong... I wouldn’t even squeeze 2 in there. The second pics are of the coop my husband spent $250 to make, but what you don’t see is that we doubled that coop exactly one year later to accommodate for more chickens.
Hope this helps!!!

 

[Pork Pie]

Hello and welcome to BYC

On this link you'll find lots of information on almost every aspect of keeping birds - from coop building ideas, to incubating eggs - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/

There’s a link on the page above to the Learning Centre - it’s a great resource. If you have a specific topic in mind, just type it in the search box - there's a wealth of information on past and present threads.

Each week, various topics are discussed, which can also be a great resource - https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive


This is a useful link of BYC guides to take a look at - https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/website-announcements-feedback-issues-guides.3/?prefix_id=3


You can use this link to contact members in your area - Find your State's thread.

Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[Polish Hen House]

Welcome! 4 birds is great. I built my first chicken coop so it is not too hard. I hope you enjoy BYC!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Welcome to Backyard Chicken two of my coops where furniture shipping crates
check where you live for furniture companies

 

[BlueBaby]

Hello, and welcome to BYC!

 

[FrankieDoodle]

Welcome to BYC!!!

 

[wyoDreamer]

To decide if you buy or build, evaluate your building skills. I think building your own is best, if you can. That is because you can build it to fit your situation and where you are going to put it. Being retired, you may be able to find the time to build a really nice coop.

Build bigger than you think you need. Chicken math is real!

Where are you located? A look at your climate will determine what kind of coop you need and how big. I live in northeastern Wisconsin, so my coop needs to be big enough to handle the birds staying inside all day during snow storms. I found out it isn't, lol. They start to pick at each other after 2 days of being "cooped " up ... we had three days of snowfall and another day before I could clear out enough to let them out. 4' snow banks in April is not fun!

 

[drumstick diva]

Some folks "trick out," a wooden shed to house chickens.Welcome to Backyard chickens

 

[New2Chicks97]

If you can build a coop skills wise then you should as a previous poster mentioned it will suit your space and needs exactly this way.

We bought a coop kit at TSC & while it has worked ok it definitely isn’t route I would choose if I were to do it again. We just didn’t have the time this spring as my husband was working a lot of over time. Wish I would have pushed for a garden shed with a run instead.

I have always bought Purina food. Chick/starter food then switched to layer feed when they started laying. Mine also free range for several hours so they get lots of fresh bugs and greens too.

What breeds are you thinking of? We went for a variety Buff Orpington, Silver Laced Wyandottes, Gold & Black Sexlinks, Easter Eggers & an adopted Favaucana. We liked the variety of bird coloring as well as the egg coloring (blue, blue-green, light tan, terra cotta brown).

Good luck with your coop & choosing your chicks. I hope you share your journey!