New member here from NC

[brandon5132]

Well my wife and I just got some 2 week old chicks from her cousin, so I am going to start raising them for some eggs. I have been reading a lot about how to care for chicks and and pretty sure I have them starting out well.
I am looking for help on coop design mainly. We plan on 12-15 girls and 1 rooster. I have found mixed feelings on how many nesting boxes I will need. Some say 1 per bird and some say 1 per 3-5 birds.
And my biggie is size of coop and placement. It tends to be pretty warm here in the summer and fairly mild in the winter. I have been looking at different designs on here to get ideas. I have learned a lot so far and look forward to sharing my experience.

 

[DDNONIN2016]

Hello and welcome....so glad you joined BYC

My 27 hens only use 2 or 3 nests at the most and only 1 if they dont have to wait too long on the current occupant LOL. As for coop size 4 square feet per large fowl in the coop is the minimum recommendation and 10 square ft per bird in the run. More is always better. Besides, its always a good idea to build for more birds than you think you will want because of the well know afflicition around here called "chicken math". Also read up on "ventilation" of your coop before starting. It's probably one of the most important parts of keeping poultry healthy.
Check out the Coops tab at the top of the page. Some amazing coops to get your ideas flowing

Good luck to you. Enjoy the site

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, brandon5132, and

! Pleased you joined us! Best of luck with your coop construction and chickens!

 

[drumstick diva]

You don't need many nest boxes, hens will fight over the same one (even if all others are identical). Sometimes they line up and wait, or they just stomp on top of the present occupant and lay eggs next to her or on top of her. I don't know if it's a "nest envy" problem or selective blindness where they only see one nest among many.

 

[brandon5132]

It's getting there. 6x6x4.

here is my clean out access.

my nesting boxes.

front door. Do I need to be able to close that door off?

external best access.

My plans are to do just a sloped roof line with a metal roof.

Any suggestions?

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! Glad you joined us!

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Welcome to BYC!!!

Glad to have you aboard!!