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Steve Ludy

Steve Ludy

Chirping
Aug 18, 2022
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My daughter just bought a house on about 3 acres of land. Neither of us or her husband have raised chicken, and they are interested in egg layers. I’ve volunteered to build a coop for 8 hens and 1 rooster. Any help in finding good plans would be appreciated.

She and her husband are researching chickens and leaning toward Isa Browns. Any recommendations here would also be welcomed.
 
Hi Steve, welcome to BYC.
I won't recommend production chickens because they are short lived and often have illness related to their reproductory organs.
If lots of eggs are the goal, I'd stick with barred rocks.
For housing, you'll need 4sq ft of floor space per chicken in the coop and 15 sq ft each in the run. They also need 1 sq foot of always open ventilation, above their heads when on the roost. You need 1' of roost space per bird also. For that amount of hens 2 to 3 nest boxes will be plenty.
Be sure there are no holes that are larger than a quarter, and use 1/2" hardware cloth, not chicken wire. Add a 2' apron around the entire structure.
 
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janiedoe said:
Hi Steve, welcome to BYC.
I won't recommend production chickens because they are short lived and often have illness related to their reproductory organs.
If lots of eggs are the goal, I'd stick with barred rocks.
For housing, you'll need 4sq ft of floor space per chicken in the coop and 15 sq ft each in the run. They also need 1 sq foot of always open ventilation, above their heads when on the roost. You need 1' of roost space per bird also. For that amount of hens 2 to 3 nest boxes will be plenty.
Be sure there are no holes that are larger than a quarter, and use 1/2" hardware cloth, not chicken wire. Add a 2' apron around the entire structure.
Click to expand...
I pled at the rocks as well. Thanks for the recommendation
 
Welcome!

This is my favorite style of coop.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/8-x-12-woods-coop-design-plan.1221551/

More about it but doesn't have the detailed plans:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/woods-style-house-in-the-winter.445004/

A portable (on skids) version:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/woods-colony-house-portable.1104954/

A portable (knock-down) version:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...portable-woods-kd-coop.1379150/#post-22660040

That style is suitable far north into Canada and better than most designs for warm climates but if you are in a really hot climate then screen walls on more than one side is better (like one or two solid or partially solid walls).

As for breeds.
"Flighty" means they are alert and startle easily. That is good if you expect them to have to escape predators; not so good if you want them to be easy to tame if you don't have much experience with prey animals. "Docile" means not flighty; it doesn't necessarily mean more likely to get along with the other chickens or to like people.

I figure my eggs aren't going to be anywhere close to economical compared to the grocery store or buying fresh eggs from one of the "end of the driveway" stands that are all around here. So I didn't try to maximize production.

My friends think Isa Browns are wonderful! They also raise chicks as replacements every year. They can be counted on to lay a big egg every day, starting early.

I like Austrlorps for their mellowness; that they lay so well isn't important to me but they started sooner, stopped for the winter later (Christmas) started again in the spring (actually, about the end of January) sooner, and lay much bigger eggs, and lay more eggs per week than my brown leghorns.

I think most of the non-rare heritage breeds (rocks, rhode island reds, orpington, javas, buckeyes, australorps) lay about the same as my australorps. Funny-feathered except polish, big breeds (cochins, brahmas, jersey giants), and heritage Mediterranean breeds (all except production white leghorns and their derivatives like California Gray) lay somewhat less but still enough for to be reasonable for your own eating. Polish and most "rare breeds" lay a lot less.
 

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