Newbie here... going to get some chickens soon!

[wullus]

Hey there, I'm from Australia my parents bought some chooks a few months ago, and I've been fascinated by them... I guess just the way they behave like us. I dunno, it's a bit weird

Originally we had 6 hens and 2 roosters. Bad idea. One of the roosters was extremely cranky, aggressive and bossing the hens around, and fighting with the other rooster. My dad went and killed it because it was so harmful, so then we were left with 7 chickens... and then one of our dogs killed one of the hens, so then down to 6.

Last week, they had been scratching around near an olliander (probly not spelt right) tree, which is currently shedding "pods", which are really poisonous. We didn't know it at the time, cause we just let them out during the day, and lock them away at night. Next morning = 4 hens dead. So we're left with the rooster and 1 hen my mum's friend felt bad for us, and being the avid chick-breeder she is, gave us three small hens, which had already been incubated and raised. At first, there were some territorial issues with the two big chooks, but now they seem to get along. They're still really small.

Anyway, because of my fascination with them, I've decided to get some of my own. They'll be locked in a different coop to my parent's chickens during the night, but I'm hoping to let them roam free during the day.

I've just purchased this off eBay:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/360435657898?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

What do you think? It would also look nice in my mum's garden I was thinking that it looked big enough for only two chooks (I plan on getting two hens for it), but maybe if once I got it, and it looked big enough for three, I could get a rooster as well. Would this be advisable, or would the two rooster's fight when they are close to each other? (just so you know, the primary reason was for eggs... though that's pretty obvious)

Also, do I have to leave the chickens locked in that house for a few days so they get used to it, and learn that it's their home? If I think of anymore questions, I'll ask

Thanks for reading

 

[RedDrgn]

Assuming I'm doing my conversions right, you should have about 1,850-3,700 square centimeters of coop space per chicken and one nest box per three chickens. Now, if they regular have access to a much larger run (approximately 9,290 square centimeters per chicken) or free range, then that's flexible in so far as they only need enough room to roost in the coop if they can otherwise freely come and go from it.

A general recommendation is one rooster per 8-10 hens. Since your flocks are on the same property, I'm guessing that they are going to be interacting a lot if you let them free range (and wouldn't be surprised if they ended up combining themselves and choosing the larger coop to all roost in over time). So I wouldn't recommend that you get a roo, though I wouldn't recommend only one roo for two hens, anyway; he'd likely give them too much attention and end up wearing them both bald/ragged.

When it comes to getting chickens used to a coop, start early. We started taking our chicks out and putting them in the coop or letting them roam the area around it from the time they were one week old. By the time they were old enough to be out there permanently, it was no big deal for them. We just took them out one day as usual and looked after them while they roamed in/around it, but when dusk fell, we locked them in the coop instead of taking them back to the brooder. The next day, we just opened the door and kept them in the run and they put themselves to bed that night (and have been ever since). If you're coop isn't in a run, this could be a bit more tricky, but if you're there with them it can work.

Also, be sure to keep your parents chickens away from the chicks or they could kill the chicks (because they're so small). I wouldn't let them near each other until they're of similar sizes. ALSO, read up on coccidiosis - lots of good threads about that on these forums.

I hope at least some of that was helpful.