New chicken mama

Date sort Score sort
DobieLover said:
Hello, Lindsey, and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.
Make sure you offer a coop that has 4 sq ft of floor space per bird, 12" of roost space per bird, 1 nest box per 4-5 birds and shoot for 1 sq ft of permanently open ventilation per bird. The run should offer 15 sq ft of space per bird and have a good substrate for cold composting of the poop load along with lots of perches and other things to jump up on.
I like feeding Flock Raiser with oyster shell on the side. It offers a better protein level than layer feed and doesn't force them to consume excess calcium when their bodies don't need it like before they come into lay, when they are molting or taking a winter break or when they are broody and raising chicks.
Click to expand...
It’s insane how many coops and runs I’ve seen (on my mail route) that don’t have near the space you are talking about. Which is the minimum to even get a permit from the city I’m in. crazy, either they don’t have a permit or someone messed up. Thank you for the information. :)
 
Postalgurl85 said:
It’s insane how many coops and runs I’ve seen (on my mail route) that don’t have near the space you are talking about. Which is the minimum to even get a permit from the city I’m in. crazy, either they don’t have a permit or someone messed up. Thank you for the information. :)
Click to expand...
Dobie is correct if they are crowded there is a chance for behavioral issues. Also I want to add that you should interact with them when they are young. I feed mine chick treats by hand and most are still friendly which helps when time to inspect as adults.
 
Hi Lindsey and welcome to BYC :frow We're so happy you've decided to join us :ya

You've gotten good advice, I'll add to your feed question and suggest you to consider your goals... A flock raiser with oyster shell on the side is a good choice, but also consider what you're looking for in terms of non-GMO or Organic feed. Both are more expensive and can be difficult to find, but they are pesticide free. If you get baby you'll need a good high protein starter for them.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom