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newchickfl

newchickfl

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10 Years
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Location
Florida
Hi everyone.....a newbie here in Florida. I am working on getting my backyard ready for my new babies this April, they ship out on the 20th so I am getting eveything ready now. I have a coop and run already but from what I have been reading here it is not big enough for the 4 chickens I will have. I am getting a speckled sussex, white cochin, new hampshire red and a buff orpington. coop and run is pictured below

I am going to try to add to the actual coop and the run i am adding another 40 inch section and a whole section on the back to make the whole run area 160 x 160. that is a big enough run for 4 chickens? oh and when is a good time to get the chick feed and grit?

thanks all
 
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Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. Your coop and run are more than big enough for four chickens unless you have roosters. Did you order pullets? The breeds you ordered are all docile breeds and should get along well (again, as long as there are no roosters). As for getting chick starter and grit, you can buy it anytime before the chicks arrive. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your chicks.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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I am not sure exactly how big this coop is but the desired amount of space per chicken is about 4 to 5 square feet inside the coop and 10 square feet per bird in the run. So if you think 4 fits into this space, then go for it! It looks like a nice coop.

Oh and love your avatar! Cochin? Beautiful bird!!

Great to have you aboard and welcome to our flock!
 
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Glad you joined us. If you haven't done so, do check out the Learning Center on raising baby chicks. Have your brooder, lights, feeder & fount on hand before the babies arrive. Most farm/feed stores offer sales during their chick days in March so watch for the sales. Get your starter feed and grit a few weeks before they drive. Decide what flooring you plan to use in the brooder - shavings, sand etc and have it ready. When they do arrive, watch for pasty butt - it is more common than I expected and easy to tend to if you are watching and prepared.

Regarding coop size, I think most of us first flock owners under build. An exercise I wish I had followed is to find a place and mark off the size of what you are planning. Set 5 gallon buckets or something similar in size in the area to represent each full size chicken and the same area for a water fount and feeder and see how much extra living space you see. Truly wish I had done that and could have avoided a major addition when my girls were a year old.

Good luck, we're here to help. Feel free to ask questions.
 
Michael OShay said:
Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. Your coop and run are more than big enough for four chickens unless you have roosters.
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I should probably qualify my statement; it's more than big enough with your additions to the coop/run. Sorry for any confusion my statement might have caused. :o)
 
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We're glad you joined us!

You've chosen some nice breeds! Your coop sounds like it has enough space to me with the improvements you made.

As for when to get chick feed, you can get it anytime before the chicks arrive. However, it is probably best to get the feed later rather than sooner, since you want the feed to be fresh and full of nutrients for the chicks.
 
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Welcome to BYC!
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We're glad to have you.

Your coop sounds like it will be large enough for four chickens. Good luck with your future flock! I haven't kept large fowl Cochins before, but the two bantams that I had in the past were very sweet and docile.
 
Thank you all for the Welcoming and advice. I will wait a bit longer to get the feed, probably right before they get here so it's fresh. Have alot of setting up to do as my backyard is bare so doing some planting and renovating. Taking pictures and will post before and afters. Also have a rottweiler and 2 basset hounds I have to introduce to the chicks when they arrive. Don't know how my dogs will be with them but hoping it goes good. anyone out there had dogs before chickens and how did it go?
 
@ michael - no confusion, and no rooster's they are not allowed in my area.
 
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