Newbie from Kentucky

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So glad you could join!
 
Good luck "marandakay" on starting your flock. You'll love it!! If u have questions about anything just let us know. We'll b glad to help!! :jumpy
 
anshepherd4 said:
Good luck "marandakay" on starting your flock. You'll love it!! If u have questions about anything just let us know. We'll b glad to help!!
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Actually to be honest the only thing holding me back is my chicken coop. I've looked at prefabs, they are either too expensive or built very crappy. I've looked at coop plans, they are either too shoddy and temporary for what I have in mind or are too elaborate for me and my Dear Hubby (DH) with NO skill with building anything at all. I feel hopeless and helpless and this crushing sense of urgency to get started but I can't do anything about it. I went looking for baby chicks the other day even though I knew it was a terrible idea to get them before getting a coop but I thought it might put a fire under DH butt to get a coop built. I suppose luckily Tractor Supply had none until Spring. DH thinks we should wait until Spring but I think it's nonsense because the chicks wont be ready to lay until Fall if they are Spring chicks. I want to have a wide range of fowl: Around 8 chickens and 2 each of guinea fowl, ducks, geese, maybe turkeys and put rabbit cages above the nesting boxes and pigeon lofts above those while using the Deep Litter method.
 
Marandakay said:
Actually to be honest the only thing holding me back is my chicken coop. I've looked at prefabs, they are either too expensive or built very crappy. I've looked at coop plans, they are either too shoddy and temporary for what I have in mind or are too elaborate for me and my Dear Hubby (DH) with NO skill with building anything at all. I feel hopeless and helpless and this crushing sense of urgency to get started but I can't do anything about it. I went looking for baby chicks the other day even though I knew it was a terrible idea to get them before getting a coop but I thought it might put a fire under DH butt to get a coop built. I suppose luckily Tractor Supply had none until Spring. DH thinks we should wait until Spring but I think it's nonsense because the chicks wont be ready to lay until Fall if they are Spring chicks. I want to have a wide range of fowl: Around 8 chickens and 2 each of guinea fowl, ducks, geese, maybe turkeys and put rabbit cages above the nesting boxes and pigeon lofts above those while using the Deep Litter method.
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Hi Marandakay,
having been through the mistake of gotten chicks before we built our coop, I would HIGHLY recommend not doing it
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It does light a fire under you, but it's really not best for the chickens INMHO. We had our first flock inside for too long and it was a pain and hard on them. My husband built us the Shiloh Coop from "my pet chicken . com" and it has been wonderful. We actually put it on wheels so we can move it with our van. Anyway, after having that, we now have 2 cattle panel hoop coops and plan to build at least 2-3 more. We'll use the shiloh coop as a brooder and place to raise up our chicks we hatch since it's much more predator proof than the hoop coops- which really aren't at all. Anywho, that's just my two cents- you could probably build a coop interior into a Lowe's premade shed- we looked at that option because they were cheaper and better made than premade coops and could just be fitted out on the inside. Just some ideas, and good luck!
 
rosewellfarm said:
Hi Marandakay,
having been through the mistake of gotten chicks before we built our coop, I would HIGHLY recommend not doing it
smile.png
It does light a fire under you, but it's really not best for the chickens INMHO. We had our first flock inside for too long and it was a pain and hard on them. My husband built us the Shiloh Coop from "my pet chicken . com" and it has been wonderful. We actually put it on wheels so we can move it with our van. Anyway, after having that, we now have 2 cattle panel hoop coops and plan to build at least 2-3 more. We'll use the shiloh coop as a brooder and place to raise up our chicks we hatch since it's much more predator proof than the hoop coops- which really aren't at all. Anywho, that's just my two cents- you could probably build a coop interior into a Lowe's premade shed- we looked at that option because they were cheaper and better made than premade coops and could just be fitted out on the inside. Just some ideas, and good luck!
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I actually thought about using Lowe's sheds, the metal one was under $300 and maybe making a pophole in it and using a coating of rust protector on it with some sort of plastic sleeve to keep the edges from being sharp. I guess it wouldn't be too hard to make shelving inside the shed to accommodate for nesting boxes, perches, and dividers for someone good with math and no experience with wood cutting?
 





Hey there we just moved to KY in Carlisle and bought a farm and I am now raising, brooding and incubating chickens and I love it. I built a coop out of old pallets, windows, door and barn wood left laying around. We bought 2X4's, wood siding and metal roofing for pretty cheap and voila coop done for very little cost, previous owners left most stuff laying around but old pallets don't cost much or old used windows/door.

Also made nesting boxes out of old kitchen cabinet doors and whatever I could find laying around, framed with 2x4's then pallet made up the walls screwed windows and doors to pallets and 2x4's, it aint pretty but you can't tell after panels are on and plenty of room to prop rows of 2x4's on inside for perches through slats in pallets. Just a thought. Nice to have fellow Kentuckians.
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