newbie questions

[tjs]

I am just getting started with chickens. I am planning on building a 4x8 coop with attached run. I can not free range as I am in town. I can have chickens with no number restrictions except letting them run. I am thinking about getting some Cornish X and some egg layer chicks. When the meat birds are ready put them in the freezer and have the egg birds. Is this advisable, if not why? I would like to end up with 4-5 egg layers so how many Cornish would I be able to get? I have been reading a lot of post and have gotten tons on info but I have not seen anything on this subject. Any info and suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Top Rooster]

Well you can't really put Cornish cross with egg layers because they eat two different foods the egg layers eat laying pellets to promote laying and meat birds eat mass gaining pellets if the egg layers eat the meat birds food they will get fat and not lay as well as if they were on laying pellets but they won't be as fat as Cornish X if you have the meat birds eating layer food they will be much slower to gain weight. My coop is 4x8 too and 5 feet tall the max amount of chickens I can put in there is 14 but possibly 15 I currently have 13.

 

[azygous]

First of all, as one who has a 4 x 8 coop and regrets it, I recommend adding a foot more to the width and making it 5 x 8 or even 6 x 8. The reason is chickens need that extra room to dismount their perch without smashing into the opposite wall. Like an airplane, they need landing room.

Also, I beg to differ with the previous poster on the feed issue. You may feed an all flock feed such as Flock Raiser, which is high in protein and will be suitable to all, layers as well as chicks and meat birds. Simply add oyster shell free choice on the side for the laying birds.

 

[tjs]

Thank you Top Rooster and azygous. I was thinking about sectioning off a part of the coop and brooding right in the coop. If I put the roosts on one end they would have the 8' length to fly down. Would that work? I am trying to get as much information and ideas before I start so I do it right from the start. I know that as I go I will want to change things.