New to chickens

[Freemanx1011]

Hi, I'm Ian my wife and i live on a 300 acre farm, I'm a general contractor. That being said, I'm not scared to build a coop, but would rather convert an old out building. This farm has seen goats, sheep and horses. However, in the history of this family owned farm there have never been chickens. Haha so I'm out of my scope. We want Plymouth Rock chickens but that's as far as we've gotten.

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
I am a retired house flipper and I converted my old shed into a coop. You can see the layout of it if you click on the My Coop link under my avatar. Have fun building your new coop!

 

[416bigbore]

Hello and welcome to BYC, You found an Awesome poultry Forum to be a part of with many great knowledgeable members who are more then willing to jump in and help you with any questions you may have.

 

[Kiki]

Welcome to BYC!
Pictures of the old building?

 

[BeanBoy]

Howdy, welcome to BYC

 

[sourland]

Hello, Ian, and welcome to BYC.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC. Here are some helpful links:

• Great go-to resource - Articles
• Space requirements
• Find other BYC members nearby using the links in my signature, below (turn your phone to landscape to see them).

Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[cmom]

Everyone starts somewhere. Keep us updated on your progress. Most of us have been there and done it too. Everyone is different as well as their situations. I would assume the next step since you know what breed you want is how many birds you want. Things to consider is how many eggs would you like taking into consideration that most birds will take a couple of days off every week. Also there may be a loss either from an issue or predator. Some breeds are better layers than others. Here are some links that may help you. If you need any suggestions or information you have but to ask. Good luck and have fun.
http://www.poultrydvm.com/featured-infographic/tips-for-protecting-poultry-from-predators
http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html
https://www.omlet.us/breeds/chickens

 

[RebelEgger]

Hello from NS and welcome to BYC Ian! You’ve joined a great and resourceful community! Enjoy your journey!!!

 

[cmom]

I do use chicken wire and welded wire. My perimeter fencing is chicken wire but I do have electric wires around my coops and pens, concrete under the gates and good heavy duty netting covering all of the pens. Here is some good info for you. Again, good luck and have fun...
http://www.plamondon.com/wp/faq-simple-electric-fences-chickens/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-treatise-on-electric-fencing.1117877/