Having some backyard chickens has always been a desire for us. Never got serious about it until a couple months ago. Decided to go for it. Talked to our nextdoor neighbors to make sure they would be onboard with the idea and received their full support.
Put together a brooder box made of a plastic tote with a ceramic heat emitter hanging over it. Took a trip to the local TSC to pick up some chicks. They had none, and the signs indicated they had very few breeds anyways. Mostly meat breeds. No plans on eating our chickens, just wanting some eggs. Go home are start searching the area for other options for chicks. Luckily got a recommendation for a farm within a short drive that had chicks available.
Picked up four 8 day old chicks that afternoon and brought them home. 2 barred rocks and 2 red sexlinks.
Get them all setup in the brooder, in the living room so they can feel like a part of the family and get plenty of attention. They loved it.
Fast forward a couple weeks and get supplies and plans together to build the coop. Went with a simple 4'x4' design found on instructable that fit our skill level.
The connected run is 8'Lx4W'x6'H, no plans used for this, we just started building. Building the door was the hardest part. Still need to install the window for the coop and the ventilation ports before the girls can spend the night, hopefully before this weekend, but they have been staying the day in the run and coming back in to the brooder at night. It's been a fun experience and can't wait to have them all settled in to their chicken palace!
Put together a brooder box made of a plastic tote with a ceramic heat emitter hanging over it. Took a trip to the local TSC to pick up some chicks. They had none, and the signs indicated they had very few breeds anyways. Mostly meat breeds. No plans on eating our chickens, just wanting some eggs. Go home are start searching the area for other options for chicks. Luckily got a recommendation for a farm within a short drive that had chicks available.
Picked up four 8 day old chicks that afternoon and brought them home. 2 barred rocks and 2 red sexlinks.
Get them all setup in the brooder, in the living room so they can feel like a part of the family and get plenty of attention. They loved it.
Fast forward a couple weeks and get supplies and plans together to build the coop. Went with a simple 4'x4' design found on instructable that fit our skill level.
The connected run is 8'Lx4W'x6'H, no plans used for this, we just started building. Building the door was the hardest part. Still need to install the window for the coop and the ventilation ports before the girls can spend the night, hopefully before this weekend, but they have been staying the day in the run and coming back in to the brooder at night. It's been a fun experience and can't wait to have them all settled in to their chicken palace!
