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killerl0bster

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Hi all,

I'm new here and new to chickens... we just brought our first 10 chicks home yesterday afternoon. We've got golden Wyandottes, Buckeyes, Golden Comets, and black and gold sex links to start out. So far they're doing well, and the dogs and kids are all enthralled. We're in southern Colorado, and the property hosts 2 adults, 2 kids (ages 9 and 11), 2 dogs, and currently 7 Tibetan yaks in addition to our new dinosaur flock. The property came to us with a chicken run, but the coop was a total loss from neglect, so we're working out exactly what we want to build in the next month or so while the chicks are still indoors with us.

We do have an honorary grandmother who is a chicken master, and she's the one who recommended BYC as a great resource, so here I am.

Hi!
 
sourland said:
Hello, and welcome to BYC. Build rapidly - they will rapidly outgrow your house.
Click to expand...
We're planning on it! We're experienced builders & renovators in general, so the actual construction isn't a big hurdle for us. We just have realized that we're not going to be happy with the quality and function of the pre-fab options available to us (especially at their price points!) and so are now putting together our plans for our own build. I expect we'll have that sorted out by the end of this weekend and will buy supplies by early next week.

Also worth noting that we have several non-house options we can move them into if really needed before the coop is ready, though obviously an actual coop would be best. But there's the 3-car garage, the feed/garden "shed" (actually a two stall barn that's been modified), the old 8-stall sheep barn after some weatherproofing, or any portion of the 70'x150' pole barn workshop building. :lol:

We also have the distinct advantage of there being a paint booth in the workshop, so painting and finishing all the wood will be a much shorter task than it ever has been before! We just moved in the beginning of December, so we're still getting used to all the new amenities at our disposal.

Editing from my phone so I can attach a photo of the property, because we're still so excited to live in such a ridiculously great place.... and our little brood of chickies too.
 

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killerl0bster said:
Hi all,

I'm new here and new to chickens... we just brought our first 10 chicks home yesterday afternoon. We've got golden Wyandottes, Buckeyes, Golden Comets, and black and gold sex links to start out. So far they're doing well, and the dogs and kids are all enthralled. We're in southern Colorado, and the property hosts 2 adults, 2 kids (ages 9 and 11), 2 dogs, and currently 7 Tibetan yaks in addition to our new dinosaur flock. The property came to us with a chicken run, but the coop was a total loss from neglect, so we're working out exactly what we want to build in the next month or so while the chicks are still indoors with us.

We do have an honorary grandmother who is a chicken master, and she's the one who recommended BYC as a great resource, so here I am.

Hi!
Click to expand...
Glad to meet you, l0bster! I am intrigued by your user name, if you feel like telling us about that. Welcome to BYC, home of nosy folks! (:giglike me!)

Congratulations on your new dinosaur flock - that is something I think of often watching my hens. They are so fun, and have such personalities. Plus, there is always more to learn!

Here are my favorite beginning articles that helped me as a newbie. I hope you will find them helpful as well. All articles are short, have illustrations, and reviews, which are often worth looking at for the comments.

1. Intro to chicken keeping

2. Common mistakes & how to fix them

3. Ventilation (important to chicken health), with helpful links to coop designs organized by climate (because what is just right for my New England hens won't work for my brother's Arizona chickens)

3(a). Farmers Almanac on Building Coops (Includes size requirements!) Allowing plenty of space for chickens is really important because, even as chicks, they will start pecking each other or plucking their own feathers, or become unhealthy if they are overcrowded. Here is a link to Colorado State Extension's publication on space and temperature requirements for chicks as they age.

4. Predator protection for new & existing coops

5. Dealing with a muddy coop and run

6. Gardening for chickens

7. BYC Lists of Chicken Ailments and Cures

To look for articles on your own:

A. Use the SEARCH button, but use the Advanced Search choice, and select ARTICLES at the top of the box. Just enter your keyword(s) and scroll through your results!

B. I find it helpful to notice the rating and reviews. All articles are by BYC members, and all the reviews/ratings are as well. The ratings help a newbie like me sort the most useful and reliable articles.

C. You can bookmark the articles or posts you think you want to refer to again using that bookmark icon at the top of articles or posts. You can find them again by clicking on your own avatar and looking at the list of bookmarks you have built up!

Notes about where to put a coop:

1. As far as you can, put a coop and run on high ground, that drains well, so you won't have so much muddy coop problems. Chickens need to be dry, dry, dry.

2. As far as you can, put a coop with the ventilation lined up with your prevailing breezes, and away from the direction of your storms. If you are not sure of these (who is these days?), check with your local National Weather Service website.

3. As far as you can, arrange for some sort of shade over your coop and run. Preferably deciduous so the girls will enjoy winter sun, but summer shade.
 
Boppo said:
Glad to meet you, l0bster! I am intrigued by your user name, if you feel like telling us about that. Welcome to BYC, home of nosy folks! :)giglike me!)
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for your reply and links -- I'll definitely be checking those out ASAP!

I've been using killerl0bster as a handle for nearly 25 years at this point, since my college days when one of my friends was trying to think of an AOL name and I was tossing out random ideas for her. I just thought the idea of a killer lobster was pretty dang funny and decided to use it myself when she didn't take it--and then had to modify it because (of course) someone had already taken killerlobster with its regular spelling! It's pretty handy to have a go-to alias for forums and video games, especially one that's relatively unique. I've never figured out who used killerlobster on AOL, and have never encountered another "lobster/l0bster" in any other space, so it works pretty well for me!

Boppo said:
3. Ventilation (important to chicken health), with helpful links to coop designs organized by climate (because what is just right for my New England hens won't work for my brother's Arizona chickens)

3(a). Farmers Almanac on Building Coops (Includes size requirements!) Allowing plenty of space for chickens is really important because, even as chicks, they will start pecking each other or plucking their own feathers, or become unhealthy if they are overcrowded. Here is a link to Colorado State Extension's publication on space and temperature requirements for chicks as they age.
Click to expand...

Ooh, wonderful, thank you! I know the basic recommendations, but area-specific adjustments will be very helpful. We're in southern Colorado, so it can be dry and hot, but we're also at about 7500 feet elevation, so it doesn't usually get *that* hot, especially compared to our last location, which basically turned into a convection oven for most of July.

Boppo said:
4. Predator protection for new & existing coops

5. Dealing with a muddy coop and run

6. Gardening for chickens
Click to expand...

Yay, yay, and yay! We're in range for a lot of predators, so that'll be a priority.

Our soil here is very sandy and seems to drain very well, so that's a plus! The property came with a run built that seems well placed, so at least to start we're going to run with that. Their coop had been unused and neglected for quite some time, and is a total loss at this point in addition to being much smaller than we'll need. We're planning on building our coop outside of the current run and cutting a hole & tunnel for our ramp so we aren't limited by the currently fenced space.

We're also putting in a garden this year, as there isn't one currently, so I'm also working on planning that out and deciding where that will be and what all will be in it to start us out. I have not been a big gardener in the past, so this is perhaps the biggest stretch for me. Wish me perseverance!

Boppo said:
Notes about where to put a coop:

1. As far as you can, put a coop and run on high ground, that drains well, so you won't have so much muddy coop problems. Chickens need to be dry, dry, dry.

2. As far as you can, put a coop with the ventilation lined up with your prevailing breezes, and away from the direction of your storms. If you are not sure of these (who is these days?), check with your local National Weather Service website.

3. As far as you can, arrange for some sort of shade over your coop and run. Preferably deciduous so the girls will enjoy winter sun, but summer shade.
Click to expand...
Great advice! I'll check on those things as we make our plans. If nothing else, we'll plan to put up shade tarps in the summer that can be removed in winter. We had to do that in multiple areas for the yaks at our previous location (much lower in elevation at about the same longitude) so we're well-practiced in tying them down for minimal flapping--prevents both animals spooking and wear and tear from the wind.

Thanks for the tips and tricks, both in coop construction/placement and website stuff!

I expect I'll be spending plenty of time here in the coming weeks and months!
 

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