New Member in NJ

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njmike

njmike

Hatching
5 Years
Apr 14, 2014
3
1
9
Hello all.

My name is Mike and I'm in NJ, so that explains the username.
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The family and I are taking the leap into backyard chickens this week. We have 1/3 acre with a deep backyard in the suburbs. This past weekend I picked up a coop and supplies from TSC. Coop is assembled and set up with an adjoining dog run providing an additional 72-80 sq feet of yard space. I'm re-seeding that space with fast growing rye grass. I still need to bury some perimeter fence to prevent burrowing animals. I have a steel can with lid to keep the feed in. I don't have the chickens yet. Planning to pickup 6 pullets, preferably Rhode Island Reds this week. I will have a large cooler without a top to use as a temporary brooder for the first few weeks and will have a heat lamp opposite the water and food. For bedding I'm using fine pine shavings. In that time I'll be building something a bit larger for them. As the birds mature and I get them into the coop, I'll also be setting up some temp fences to allow them some partial free range time in the main yard when we're home.

That's my initial game plan. Hope to learn a lot here.

Thanks,

Mike
 
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Welcome to BYC!

Sounds like you have been doing your research before hand! Be careful with using a cooler as they can really build up and hold the heat. So don't cover it with anything but a screen or hardware cloth and use a reliable thermometer.

Enjoy your new adventure and welcome to our flock!
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! Good luck with your soon to be new chicks! You might want to check the actual square footage in the TSC coop, many of the TSC ones seem to overestimate the number of birds they can hold comfortably, especially if in places where the birds will be cooped up in the winter.
 
Thank you all for the warm welcome and especially the input on the cooler for brooder and the coop size from TSC. I was enjoying some limited time this afternoon browsing the brooder pictures here and think I may not use the cooler after all. I can get a lightweight storage bin and screen the top, then take some time to construct a proper brooder.

The coop is the old red barn model that is rated 6-8 and I'm going with 6. I do see how 8 would be a bit much and if I'm blessed with any free time I will likely try and upgrade before winter. At a minimum I was planning to insulate the walls.
 

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