learning about chickens

[Chick-N-Fun]

Welcome to our FUNomenal Flock!
Best Wishes & Be Well!

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens, thank you for joining the flock

 

[DobieLover]

Thanks everyone! Looking for hens that will be good with kids and lay a lot of eggs! Lots of bugs in the yard as well so there will be plenty of treats for them. Really not that picky on breeds at the moment. Also not sure how many to get with the coop that we have...i am assuming it can maybe hold 10-15 comfortably??

No where near that if you want them to not maim eachother.
You need 4 sq ft of floor space per chicken.
You could get away with 2.5 to 3 if you fully predator proof your run and never close the door between the run and the coop. But you have several security issues that I can see.
You also need about 1' of roost space per bird. The roost should be 1' from the wall and 1' from neighboring roosts or you will have poop covered walls and chickens.
I've indicated security risks in the image below marked in red.

Close up the space under roof with 1/2" hardware cloth.
If the screen door is not already secured with 1/2" HC, it needs to be. Tough to tell in the picture.
The big gap under the door is a major security risk. You need to put in a PT (pressure treated) 2x4 threshold such that you don't have a gap greater than 1/2" under that door.
The PT threshold will be necessary for attachment of a 2' HC predator apron around the entire structure.
The ladder you have for access into the coop won't work. It's far too steep. You'd be better off building a ramp with cleats on it for them to walk up.
You can put feed and water under the coop.
I'm taking a WAG that your coop is about 4x4 so I wouldn't try to put more than 5 full size chickens in there. And they'll need more room for a run if you aren't free ranging them a good portion of the day.
The good news is, 5 good laying hens can provide you with about 2 dozen eggs a week.

 

[Pork Pie]

Thanks everyone! Looking for hens that will be good with kids and lay a lot of eggs! Lots of bugs in the yard as well so there will be plenty of treats for them. Really not that picky on breeds at the moment. Also not sure how many to get with the coop that we have...i am assuming it can maybe hold 10-15 comfortably??

Hi and welcome to BYC. In addition to the great advice given above, take a look at this link to help determine the most suitable number of chickens - http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-much-room-do-chickens-need. The more space your birds have, the happier and healthier they will be.

Here are some other helpful links:

• Great go-to resource - Articles
• Insightful feedback on how members manage their flocks - Topic of the Week back-catalogue
• How to start a new thread
• Find other BYC members nearby using the links in my signature, below (turn your phone to landscape to see them).

Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[cbs01]

No where near that if you want them to not maim eachother.
You need 4 sq ft of floor space per chicken.
You could get away with 2.5 to 3 if you fully predator proof your run and never close the door between the run and the coop. But you have several security issues that I can see.
You also need about 1' of roost space per bird. The roost should be 1' from the wall and 1' from neighboring roosts or you will have poop covered walls and chickens.
I've indicated security risks in the image below marked in red.
View attachment 2135147
Close up the space under roof with 1/2" hardware cloth.
If the screen door is not already secured with 1/2" HC, it needs to be. Tough to tell in the picture.
The big gap under the door is a major security risk. You need to put in a PT (pressure treated) 2x4 threshold such that you don't have a gap greater than 1/2" under that door.
The PT threshold will be necessary for attachment of a 2' HC predator apron around the entire structure.
The ladder you have for access into the coop won't work. It's far too steep. You'd be better off building a ramp with cleats on it for them to walk up.
You can put feed and water under the coop.
I'm taking a WAG that your coop is about 4x4 so I wouldn't try to put more than 5 full size chickens in there. And they'll need more room for a run if you aren't free ranging them a good portion of the day.
The good news is, 5 good laying hens can provide you with about 2 dozen eggs a week.

Thanks for the advice! The measurements just so we are on the same page are 16'x5' for the run and the enclosure is 6'x5'. Will definitely add more HC in the areas you mentioned. The ladder in there is actually leftover from the kids playset and we also have a ramp that isn't installed yet. Thanks again for the help!

 

[Mooshu17]

Cool coop, be sure to update us when you get some chickens!

 

[rjohns39]

Hi Chris and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us

 

[rascal66]

Welcome!! Nothing quite like enjoying your very own fresh eggs. So much better than store bought
Glad you could join us.

 

[cbs01]

Here are a couple shots of our finished coop with chickens! Been super fun getting ready and thanks for the tips. I can see this always being a "work in process" for me. We bought seven ISA Brown ladies at about 16 weeks. They are settling in nicely.

 

[Parkbenchchickens]

That looks so good!