No experiance with chickens but we got 6 anyways!

[Jungle2354]

Well we got 6 new Rhode Island reds about 2 weeks ago from our local feed and garden. They have been living in the garage in a big cardboard box with a warming light. We have gotten about half way done with the run, which is 8'x12'. We are using a hunting blind that was built about a year ago but never used it and with a little modification should work pretty darn good for the coop. Now we are just waiting to see how many hens how many roosters we have ended up with, we are hoping for 2 roosters and 4 hens but it will most likely be the other way with our luck..LOL. I have been trying to find out how to see which is hens and which is roosters but haven't had much luck with that.

If anyone could tell me to what to look for to see if my chickens are boys or girls? Also if a 8'x12' run area is big enough for 6 chickens? Also they are about 4 weeks old and I'm not sure when they will be old enough to be outside for good. Any and all help is appreciated.

 

[GoldenSparrow]

Welcome to BYC!

chickens are so much fun, you will have a blast!
what are you going to do with he roos?

Roosters will be bigger then the hens. They will have brighter feathers, and there tails will start to curve. Their wattles and combs will get bigger too.

for your sake, I hope you only have one roo!

 

[Gofygure]

It sounds like you're off to a good start. In the next few weeks the boys will begin to really develop their combs and wattles- the ones that start to get big and red are most likely males. With six chicks I'd advise keeping only one roo- hopefully you'll get lucky with the percentages!

Assuming for a moment that you magically end up with five hens and one rooster and decide to keep all six, you'll want a coop that is at least 24 sq. ft. An 8' x 12' run would give each bird 16 sq ft, which is fine, especially if they get let out to roam a yard for a few hours per day. And if you wind up giving a few cockerels away, they'll have even more room!

Chicks can head outdoors when they lose all of their baby fluff and grow in their adult feathers.

 

[RonC]

Generally 10 sq ft per bird in the run and 4 sq ft in the coop is the recommendation. My six are in a 100 sq ft run and are happy although they have devastated the vegetation in about 2 weeks. At four weeks if they are pretty well feathered they can go out. Ween them from the heat lamp so it's not a shock for a few days. Just give them a draft free coop and they should be fine. Why you want two roo's I'm not sure but good luck.

 

[Delta2 23]

You can take the tips given already, or perhaps you could post a thread in What breed or gender is this? and get some opinions on your chickens from people here.
Your coop sounds like it'll be plenty big enough. Do you intend of free ranging? Chicks can go outside as early as four weeks if it's warm enough. You can try for one night and see if they manage fine.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

its possible since you got them at feed store they are production reds,all hens..at least thats how our feed store does it. The pen will be okay size for a few months, you could considerfree range or another run to rest the ground. of course if you feed them abalanced diet that run should be fine. chickens love to forage around...keeping them safe from predators is the main issue.
good luck, I also just jumped into chicken keeping, now its obsession!!!!