I've been reading up on keeping chickens, I've asked friends who keep them, and I've visited their coops - I've planned and plotted. And it's now time to put all I've learned into action. But it's one thing to read about it, and quite another thing to actually have live chickens depending on me!
We will get our coop later this week - and then we'll buy some 4-month old pullets next week from a nearby farm. We plan to have layers only - just for our family and friends. We live on acreage that is mostly wooded - with hawks, owls, bobcats, coyotes, raccoons and many other predators around. So we chose a coop with an attached 12 x 4 pen that has welded wire mesh covering the top and sides. That's the only way they'll be able to survive here. On the inside of the coop there are two nesting boxes on one side and a roosting pole across the other side.
After considering the farm's inventory of pullets, I thought of getting 3 Araucanas, 1 Little Black Giant, 2 New Hampshire Reds, and 2 Welsummers. My ideal flock would be 4 - 6 hens. However, I've been told that we should get 2 or 3 extras since it's likely some won't make it very long. Is that true - even if we protect them from predators? I'm sure the animals in the woods around us will do their best to get into the pen and coop. And it sure is hot here in TN during the summer. So the weather might be stressful to them - although part of the pen will be in the shade.
Before I make my final decision on which breeds to get - what do you think of the plan I described above? Is that a good mixture of breeds? I want only blue and brown eggs. Does the coop and pen set-up seem sufficient to protect them from predators and provide enough room for 8 chickens? I have pine shavings to put on the floor of the coop, and straw to put in the nesting boxes. The guy at the farmers co-op told me I should feed them food made for chicks until they start laying. So I have a big bag of chick feed. I've got the water and feed trays ready. What am I forgetting????
Thanks!
Carol
We will get our coop later this week - and then we'll buy some 4-month old pullets next week from a nearby farm. We plan to have layers only - just for our family and friends. We live on acreage that is mostly wooded - with hawks, owls, bobcats, coyotes, raccoons and many other predators around. So we chose a coop with an attached 12 x 4 pen that has welded wire mesh covering the top and sides. That's the only way they'll be able to survive here. On the inside of the coop there are two nesting boxes on one side and a roosting pole across the other side.
After considering the farm's inventory of pullets, I thought of getting 3 Araucanas, 1 Little Black Giant, 2 New Hampshire Reds, and 2 Welsummers. My ideal flock would be 4 - 6 hens. However, I've been told that we should get 2 or 3 extras since it's likely some won't make it very long. Is that true - even if we protect them from predators? I'm sure the animals in the woods around us will do their best to get into the pen and coop. And it sure is hot here in TN during the summer. So the weather might be stressful to them - although part of the pen will be in the shade.
Before I make my final decision on which breeds to get - what do you think of the plan I described above? Is that a good mixture of breeds? I want only blue and brown eggs. Does the coop and pen set-up seem sufficient to protect them from predators and provide enough room for 8 chickens? I have pine shavings to put on the floor of the coop, and straw to put in the nesting boxes. The guy at the farmers co-op told me I should feed them food made for chicks until they start laying. So I have a big bag of chick feed. I've got the water and feed trays ready. What am I forgetting????
Thanks!
Carol
