Newbie

[lisa simoneau]

Hello, I am so excited to have found you all .

I just recently purchased 16 acres and am anxiously trying to get my little animals going.

I am trying to build a coop out of bamboo (which I have acres of, if you know about bamboo that would help too)and am trying to see if anyone else has done this or the know how to guide me.

I am getting 2 roosters and 6-8 chicks to start. Any help please. What size I need to make it, placement on my property.

Looking forward to learning from this group

Lisa s

 

[Mace Gill]

Welcome! 16 acres ... so jealous!

I don't know about bamboo.

Size depends on how many you eventually want to have beyond the start. Full size breeds want a MINIMUM of 2 sq feet of floor space per chicken and enough roost space ask. Run should be as big as you can securely make it ... bigger is better.

Coop should be in a dry place with good drainage. Partial shade and south facing windows. Elevated if possible. Coop needs to be weather tight, but with venting.

I read somewhere that they recommend one nesting box per four hens ... But my nine hen didn't read that anywhere because they just like to use the one. But I would still make several available.

The least you need to know: safe from predators, enough space, dry.

 

[Mace Gill]

Also, I would recommend only one rooster to start with so few hens!

 

[Abriana]

Welcome to BYC! By the way, you need at least ten hens per rooster. They will over-mate them and can hurt, or even kill the hens. I have thirteen hens and one rooster, and when i tried getting a second one, he really hurt them and they wouldn't even come out of the coop in the morning because he would chase them and jump on their backs. My advice is start with one and when you have more chicken, then get another one. For placement of the coop, it should be under trees where hawks will have a harder time getting at them, and no branches hanging over the fence for raccoon highways. An electric fence would be best. For my thirteen hens and rooster, I have two fifty foot and one hundred foot fences put together. You will probably want a hundred foot fence, if you get one at all. An electric fence will help keep lots of predators out. I have had only one predator problem and that was a hawk. Chickens are forest animals and will enjoy some underbrush. If you don't have any, you can take branches and pile them up by the coop. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!

 

[lisa simoneau]

Great advise! I was gonna do it all wrong!

When we were looking for a place in NC we wanted a turn key and no work!! Well, change that! I love it here and can't wait to get the animals going! Cows and goats are next.

I will not get the second rooster and focus on the one with the hens! I am actually going back and forth from NC to FL. I'll leave tomorrow and return the end of June for a few weeks and I will be bringing the rooster and hens back. What do I need for the inside of the house (covered pen) What do you feed yours??
I saw a design for a covered path theat I want to do, to keep the bigger animals away.

I think I have the perfect place for them.

I am excited now!!!

 

[pennyJo1960]

sounds like your on the right path visit the coop pages on here but stay with the larger
sized just remember hardware cloth
but a great big Welcome from Washington state

 

[Abriana]

I get my feed from a local, family owned farmstore called Dawson Gap. I think the feed is called Highlands. Maybe they sell it in other places, but I'm not sure.
For inside the pen, you will need a waterer. A nipple waterer will work best, you can buy the nipples and attatch them to a bucket and hang it or set it on a stump. So they don't get bored, you can hang a head of cabbage in there too, or get them a flock block. you will need a feeder, sized based on how big your flock is. Make sure they have plenty of space at the water and feed so that the hens lower in the pecking order get to eat too. To make sure they are eating, feel their crops. If you run your hand over their chest, you can feel bulge. That is the crop. it should be full of feed at night. That is pretty much the basics of what you will need. Now you can get creative, some people have a swing in their pen, you can make them roosts for outside. It is fun to give them new things and watch them explore it.

 

[Abriana]

Checked earlier today and it is called Hiland Naturals. It's all natural and organic-but it is a little expensive.