Need some help on improvements for coop

[3KillerBs]

I would keep 3, which would be one side of nest boxes.

I think 8 birds with this coop is pushing it due to overall amount of usable floor space as well as feasibility of putting enough roost space for the number of birds. You may need to shrink the flock a bit as they grow up, but that's something you can play by ear as the birds grow up, since you seem ok with rehoming birds if the need arises.

I'm making it easier on myself selling my extras buy using the money from the sales to buy this year's chicks.

 

[CLUCKING CHICKENS]

I would keep 3, which would be one side of nest boxes.

I think 8 birds with this coop is pushing it due to overall amount of usable floor space as well as feasibility of putting enough roost space for the number of birds. You may need to shrink the flock a bit as they grow up, but that's something you can play by ear as the birds grow up, since you seem ok with rehoming birds if the need arises.

I will play it by ear with the 8 and if it does become a issue as they get bigger then I will invest in a bigger coop instead of rehoming anymore chickens. Last few months have been chicken roulette with a big learning curve . The 8 that will be staying in this coop are
- Black Copper Maran
- Blue Copper Maran
- Salmon Faverolles
- Cream Legbar
- Lavender Orpington
- Blue Favaucana
- Blue Laced Red Wyandotte
- Barred Plymouth Rock

 

[CLUCKING CHICKENS]

I also have that second coop and run going up soon that will house 4 of the Brahma chickens I recently received from TSC.
In some cases I have breeds that I really wanted but there were order minimums and certain ones were out so had to be purchased in separate batches and hatch dates for the hatcheries to ship. I may have only wanted 1 to 2 birds of a certain type but had to order 8. So the filler birds I raise until 6 weeks and then sell on craigslist for about $20 to $25 per and haven't had any issues rehoming any of them.

I have a set of twin 4 year olds and a 9 year old that are ecstatic with all this chicken stuff. I myself am amazed at the wide variety that exists. I was actually very ignorrant prior to venturing into this hobby and thought that a chicken was just a chicken. I grew up in NewYork and the military brought me out here to the Pacific Northwest. I appreciate the existence of this forum so that I am able to learn from all of you who have been doing this for some time. Thanks again for all the helpful feedback.

 

[aart]

So the filler birds I raise until 6 weeks and then sell on craigslist for about $20 to $25 per and haven't had any issues rehoming any of them.

You can sell a 6wo chicks for $20-25 apiece?!

 

[3KillerBs]

I may have only wanted 1 to 2 birds of a certain type but had to order 8. So the filler birds I raise until 6 weeks and then sell on craigslist for about $20 to $25 per and haven't had any issues rehoming any of them.

I find this fun because I not only get to pick the ones I like best, I get the joy of seeing people so happy that they don't have to go through the hassle of raising chicks. Today the lady who bought my Blue Cuckoo Marans cockerel, who was the extra chick with the order, was just ecstatic because she hadn't even known that Blue Cuckoo existed and was completing her collection of breeding groups for all the varieties of Marans.

You can sell a 6wo chicks for $20-25 apiece?!

That's a great price!

I'm routinely getting $15 for started pullets and am thinking of trying for $20 on named breeds/$15 for crosses this coming spring.

 

[linguini]

Originally I had no idea, walked into Wilco and Tractor Supply ( just to look ) and found myself coming coming home with 12 baby chicks.

don't blame you! who can resist those cuties

 

[CLUCKING CHICKENS]

I find this fun because I not only get to pick the ones I like best, I get the joy of seeing people so happy that they don't have to go through the hassle of raising chicks. Today the lady who bought my Blue Cuckoo Marans cockerel, who was the extra chick with the order, was just ecstatic because she hadn't even known that Blue Cuckoo existed and was completing her collection of breeding groups for all the varieties of Marans.



That's a great price!

I'm routinely getting $15 for started pullets and am thinking of trying for $20 on named breeds/$15 for crosses this coming spring.

That sounds like a good deal for pullets....Do you breed and hatch your own? Do you do it as a side business? For a bit I could not make my mind up on what type of flock I wanted to raise so we have gone through a few batches to get to this point I have sold maybe 2 dozen chickens and pullets. They all sold for $20 with the exception of a few that were older and sold for $25. They all went fast and haven't had a negative experience yet.
Those have all been chicks I purchased through Tractor Supply. This last batch of chicks that I have listed above were a bit expensive from MyPetChicken but I had time to figure out what I really wanted for our family when I put that order together and they will be permanent and each will receive a name by the kids.

 

[3KillerBs]

That sounds like a good deal for pullets....Do you breed and hatch your own? Do you do it as a side business? For a bit I could not make my mind up on what type of flock I wanted to raise so we have gone through a few batches to get to this point I have sold maybe 2 dozen chickens and pullets. They all sold for $20 with the exception of a few that were older and sold for $25. They all went fast and haven't had a negative experience yet.
Those have all been chicks I purchased through Tractor Supply. This last batch of chicks that I have listed above were a bit expensive from MyPetChicken but I had time to figure out what I really wanted for our family when I put that order together and they will be permanent and each will receive a name by the kids.

My first incubator just arrived today.

I plan to hatch both barnyard mixes and Blue Australorps this spring and to sell the spares. So far I've just been ordering double what I needed from the hatcheries and selling the extras.

 

[CLUCKING CHICKENS]

Those 4 Brahmas that will be going in the new Eglu Cube coop and run that will be up in a few weeks are a maybe for me. To be honest that breed was never even on my radar until I opened up that box and surprise surprise.
I haven't made my mind yet if they will remain. Once they get bigger I will decide. If they do not stay I was thinking of doing a few bantam breeds in that coop instead. We will see in the future and if that does change there will most likely be a new thread on here....lol

 

[3KillerBs]

Those 4 Brahmas that will be going in the new Eglu Cube coop and run that will be up in a few weeks are a maybe for me. To be honest that breed was never even on my radar until I opened up that box and surprise surprise.
I haven't made my mind yet if they will remain. Once they get bigger I will decide. If they do not stay I was thinking of doing a few bantam breeds in that coop instead. We will see in the future and if that does change there will most likely be a new thread on here....lol

Brahmas are some of my favorites for their beauty. I'm a sucker for feathered feet and, fortunately, have the right soil conditions for them (sand rather than clay).

They're not good layers though.