Newby chicken owner

[IDtheTarget]

Howdy!

My name is Ben. My wife and I just bought 10 acres out in the boonies because we love nature and want to live a more self-sufficient lifestyle. We've built a house and are looking to continue on our path.

1) We are new to chickens, we have had them for a few weeks.

2) We have two hens and a rooster

3) I don't know what the breeds are, though I can post a picture. We were given them from a couple of friends.

4) I found out about BYC because I want to build a better home for our chickens. Right now we're using an old coop from the previous owners of the property, but we've already lost one hen to raccoons. I'm not happy with the space they have, the ventilation, or a bunch of other things.

5) I'm 50 and my wife is 52, but we're just now getting into self-sufficiency. I'm trying to learn how to do more things myself, and so is she. We're wanting to start raising vegetables as well as the chickens. We'd like to try to build a coop and run that work with a garden and compost pile, but we're still so new at all of this that it's a bit daunting.

Thanks!

 

[kingchickies]

Good for you!! There is alot of information on here and lots of people who will give you advice about a wide variety of subjects. In my opinion, the best way to learn is to do, so your on the right track! Good luck and welcome!!

 

[ChocolateMouse]

You can do it! I believe in you! There's a lot to learn but I think you'll be surprised what you can accomplish together in a short time period.
A coop with a run that works well with gardens can be extremely easy and low-maintenance. I really strongly suggest you look into deep litter methods for managing your chicken waste. It's great for gardeners and homesteaders.
What we have where I live is a coop that has straw-hay-and-newspaper for bedding. The coop gets cleaned only 3 times a year and we just keep adding new bedding the rest of the year. (It would be less times a year but we have a small coop with many birds.) When we clean it, the bedding just goes into a wheelbarrow and gets dumped on a compost pile. The compost pile becomes the top layers of our garden beds a year later.
For the pen we put down wood chips from local tree companies. They send them to us for free in 10 cubic yard loads. The wood chips go into the pen and break down with the chicken poop to make a rich soil. When we dig a garden bed, we take the rotting, poo-soaked woodchips out and use them at the bottom of our double-dub beds to help break up the clay soil. Then we put fresh woodchips down in the chicken pen. You'd never even know the chickens were there.

 

[Kiki]

Welcome to BYC! Check out the Coop section under Articles.
We are glad you joined.
This video should help you find your way around the site better:

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to the BYC flock. I suggest you check out the predator threads & also coops section for advice and suggestions at keeping the bad guys away, and making a better, safer coop.