New Members

[andor114]

My wife and I finally went thru with our plans and got us 6 chicks. We bought a small chicken coop off of craigslist. A nice one from tractor supply, but it’s a bit small. Its great for them now since they are only 10 weeks old. They are doing awesome and roam the yard during the day, the coop provides everything they need. However we are not looking into building a larger coop to help sustain them once they get larger. Although this coop we have is nice and all I just want a larger easier coop to clean. Plus I forsee us getting more of these things in the future, the family has fallen in love with the fact we have chickens. We look forward to reading and posting questions in the future.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Congrats on your 6 chicks! I'm glad you and your family are enjoying them! Yes, you will definitely be getting more chickens in the future! They are addicting and if you have the space, you will fill it; trust me!

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[drumstick diva]

Sounds like another case of chicken addiction. Good for you. Have you checked out the very educational "Learning Center?"

 

[sunflour]

and congrats on your new flock.

 

[N F C]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

The pre-built coops all seem to have the same issue, they're too small and never comfortably fit as many chickens as labeled. Some things to keep in mind when you build your own can include:
* Make it large. Chickens appreciate room and won't squabble so much if they can spread out. And if you have feeders, waterers and nesting boxes in the coop, they take up space
* Make it tall enough for you to stand up inside. It's no fun having to hunch over to work in the coop
* Make it easy to clean. Chickens poop...a lot. Keeping it clean will be healthier and it will smell better
* Allow for plenty of ventilation
* Make it secure. Forget chicken wire, it's not strong enough to keep predators out. Security also means locks on the doors

Those are just some basics. There are some great ideas and designs under the Coops tab.

Good luck to you, nice to have you join us!