Newbie Hello!

[crankygerbil]

Hi! New here today and to chickens as of Saturday.

We bought:
1 Delaware pullet, a buff brahma, two sapphire olives, a brown pullet and two speckled sussex. They are 9 days old and in a brooding box with one of those flat brooding digital brooders.

I live at about 5,800 feet elevation with hot dry summers and varying cycles of snow/cold/50s winters of Colorado.

We're currently looking at Omlet.US cube, but haven't decided yet on the coop.

 

[007Sean]

Howdy, and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Happy to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!

Thanks for joining our community!

 

[Kenneth Zweerink]

Welcome to BackYard Chickens. And a Big Hello from Eastern Nebraska!

 

[Tookie]

Hello, welcome to BYC!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens. This is a great place to hang out and explore.

 

[triciayoung]

Welcome. I have a Delaware and a Speckled sussex. Molly and Lucy. They are both awesome and you will enjoy them. If you have not bought a coop yet, please do not buy a pre-manufactured coop, for both you and your chickens sake. I am certain others will weigh in on this matter also - since most of us do not like them. Here is why: not nearly enough space while sleeping/roosting - whatever number they say it is for should be cut in half. While awake, it is not adequate - you need to have a coop that your chickens can stay in all day if they have to - like severe inclement weather, etc.. We have never seen a premanufactured coop that has enough ventilation. And the roosting bars are always poorly designed on these coops which leads to roosting bar pecking and fighting. Most of the pre-manufactured coops you cannot walk into and this is so important.

I bought a very good pre-manufactured coop - cost $1000. It didn't work, so I stupidly bought another one to create more space. Then I stopped and regrouped and listened to people here and used one of the coops as a brooding place, stored the second one and bought a shed to convert. My shed is 20x8 for 17 chickens. I have a chair in there so that I can be in with them if the weather is bad and I need to stay in there. There is 2-feet of roosting space per chicken and still plenty of room for a brooder.

Having a lot of space in your coop and your run will mitigate so many issues; crowding, pecking, bullying, boredom, etc...you won't be sorry. Conversely, if you have the skills, you can always build one yourself.

 

[chrissynemetz]

Hi, and welcome to BYC! We're happy to have you with us!

 

[janiedoe]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Welcome to BYC @crankygerbil

Glad you could join us all here! Congrats on your new chickens! Enjoy BYC

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.

I would not buy an Eglu coop. It will be too small for your 5 birds. Consider converting a shed into a coop. Something you can walk in. That makes life so much easier for all involved.