I know only a few things about chickens...I know they lay eggs, I know they have feathers and I know I like them fried with potatoes and gravy on the side. My kids have been begging for chickens since so many of their friends have them. At first my husband and I said no, but then we started thinking about the benefits of having chickens. The kids were thrilled to learn that they had convinced us that having chickens was a good idea. Now I need to learn all that I can about chickens until next spring, that's when we plan to get started. I started to do my 'research on chickens' and came across the "BackYard Chickens" website. It felt comfortable and friendly so I decided to join the masses. So here's what I've accomplished so far...I have an old dog pen 7ft x 12ft that I plan to use as the chicken run. What I need to know is how many chickens will it hold and how big to make the coop...And so my journey begins..