New to here and new to chickens

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StacyAK

StacyAK

Chirping
6 Years
Jul 21, 2013
142
21
73
Eagle River, Alaska
Hello!

So I've have been thinking on and off about getting chickens for about a year now. Figured they are a good supply of "self sufficient" food. A few months ago someone gave me a dozen eggs from their Easter Eggers. That sealed it! They were the best eggs I've ever eaten! I began doing research (mostly on this site) and started trying to figure out the best location on my property for my coop. This whole endeavor was starting to look like a next spring type of project. Then, one evening, I was standing out on my back deck staring out into the yard trying to locate the perfect chicken spot when it dawned on me.... My grandpa's (who lives next door to me) detached garage (which is partially in my backyard) has an old coop built onto the back of it from when he had chickens some 40 years ago! YAY! I already have a coop!!! It just needs one wall put back up, nest boxes and roosts built and a chicken run outside. He even has a blower in his garage that will blow warm air through a vent into the coop! I was so mad at my self for forgetting all this time that there was a coop already in my backyard! I get to get chickens this year!!

I have gotten it all cleaned out and sanitized (it was really fun trying to scrape 40 year old chicken poop off the floor) and we are going to start building the run next weekend.

I ordered my chicks and they will be here in 2 weeks. I had to order 15 due to their minimum shipping requirement and will keep 8-9 and sell the rest. I wanted a mix of breeds and eggs so I went with 5 each of: Buff Orpingtons, Rhode Island Reds and Easter Eggers. I live in Alaska and these all seemed like they do well in the cold and the Opingtons will lay all winter long which is nice.

I do have a few questions. I want to make sure I'm not missing anything or screwing anything up.

  1. I was planning on using 2 large Rubbermaid totes that I have for the chick brooders. I was thinking of having the chicks I plan on keeping in one and the chicks I plan on selling in another. Will they be large enough to hold 8-9 chicks? Will I need to spread them out more as they get bigger?
  2. Water, feed, grit, oyster shells (when they start laying), dust for dust baths. Am I missing anything?? Do the chicks need to be provided grit? Oh and treats of course!
  3. I'm still trying to figure out what size to build my run. Right now the plan is 8'x20' for 8-9 chickens. Too big, too small? I don't want to get it all built and then have to redo it because it is too small!!
  4. Almost every picture of runs I have looked at, the wire is run along the inside as opposed to wrapped around the outside of the wood frame. Is there a reason for this?
  5. I am going halvsies with my brother and sister-in-law so we will be sharing the eggs. Will 8-9 chickens be enough to provide us all with plenty of eggs?
  6. It seems IMPOSSIBLE to find pictures anywhere of how people have the inside of their coops set up. Any ideas where to look? I'm trying to figure out the best spots to place everything, i.e. nest boxes, roosts, water, feed.

Any advice/suggestions will be greatly appreciated!! I can't wait until my little chickys arrive!!!
 
Greetings from Kansas, StacyAK, and
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! Great to have you aboard. Glad you have what you need to get up and running with chickens. I'll address some of your questions.

I do have a few questions. I want to make sure I'm not missing anything or screwing anything up.

  1. I was planning on using 2 large Rubbermaid totes that I have for the chick brooders. I was thinking of having the chicks I plan on keeping in one and the chicks I plan on selling in another. Will they be large enough to hold 8-9 chicks? Will I need to spread them out more as they get bigger? Yes...but not for long - they get big quick and with the space taken up by the feeder and waterer, there isn't much room left. Can you find a big old box - like from a stove or dryer - they work great.
  1. Water, feed, grit, oyster shells (when they start laying), dust for dust baths. Am I missing anything?? Do the chicks need to be provided grit? Oh and treats of course! Avoid treat for a couple of weeks and stick with chick starter. I don't give grit until they are a month or so old and eating things other than starter.
  2. I'm still trying to figure out what size to build my run. Right now the plan is 8'x20' for 8-9 chickens. Too big, too small? I don't want to get it all built and then have to redo it because it is too small!! That will be fine - 10 sq. ft per bird is recommended for the run so you're covered.
  3. Almost every picture of runs I have looked at, the wire is run along the inside as opposed to wrapped around the outside of the wood frame. Is there a reason for this? Not that I know of except maybe you save a little material. Also, invest in hardware cloth, not chicken wire. CW keeps chickens in but does a poor job of keeping predators out.
  4. I am going halvsies with my brother and sister-in-law so we will be sharing the eggs. Will 8-9 chickens be enough to provide us all with plenty of eggs? Don't know how many eggs you eat but when they reach their peak you should get 6-7 eggs a day from the 8-9 birds.
  5. It seems IMPOSSIBLE to find pictures anywhere of how people have the inside of their coops set up. Any ideas where to look? I'm trying to figure out the best spots to place everything, i.e. nest boxes, roosts, water, feed. Use the BYC search bar and type in 'coop pics.' (or words similar). Most will be exterior but some will be interior.
 
Thank you so much for the help redsoxs!

I was planning on using some fencing I already had. Not sure what you would call it. It's the galvanized metal fencing with the bigger holes. I was planning on using that then using some shorter fencing with smaller holes along the bottom of the fence to keep them from being able to stick their heads out. I have quite a few predators to worry about where I live. Bears, eagles, stray cats, neighbors dogs, we have even had wolves near our place before. I figured I can build a fence strong enough to keep most everything out except the bears. If they want in, there is not much you can do to stop them
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StacyAK said:
Thank you so much for the help redsoxs!

I was planning on using some fencing I already had. Not sure what you would call it. It's the galvanized metal fencing with the bigger holes. I was planning on using that then using some shorter fencing with smaller holes along the bottom of the fence to keep them from being able to stick their heads out. I have quite a few predators to worry about where I live. Bears, eagles, stray cats, neighbors dogs, we have even had wolves near our place before. I figured I can build a fence strong enough to keep most everything out except the bears. If they want in, there is not much you can do to stop them
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Click to expand...

Your idea is a great one - the hardware cloth I mentioned is pretty pricey - lots of folks just run it up from ground level up to maybe 15". It's not a bad idea to bury it 4" or so either to keep things from digging in. It is good stuff as raccoons can't reach in through the small holes. There are some sad stories on BYC of how a raccoon reached through chicken wire, hooked a chicken and ate it alive through the fence!! Now for bears or wolves....that's another story. Not sure what would keep them at bay! Good luck to you on your venture - you have put a lot of thought into it and I can tell you'll be a successful chicken keeper!!
 
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It's a good idea to cover the run, also apart from keeping some rain off them ,it discourages climbing predators and will prevent hawk attacks.
 
oh yes, the top of the run will definitely be covered! Wood frame top with wire over it. Corrugated plastic over the wire during the winter
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I have been doing endless hours of research after I decided to delve into this! All my spare time is devoted to getting the coop ready and doing chicken research. All my Google searches seemed to lead to posts on BYC so I finally decided to just go ahead and join!
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