Pulling the trigger

[Alagirl]

My new chicks where settling in, until I (it seems) accidentally traumatised them by accidentally tripping over their coop, I have been putting so much effort into looking after them, but now I don't know what to do.

oh man, sounds like something I would do! I hope they forgive you!

 

[addctd2plnts]

Don't forget to check Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for coops and pens. There's often ones people have built that are nicer quality than you could get from TSC. Usually you can get a larger one than TSC for the same price. I found one that had never even been used for $400! It was heavy but perfect for my ducks. If they've been used, I would spray with Elector to make sure that all mites were killed, then after a week spray with Oxine or Tektrol Disinfectants to make sure all bacteria and viruses are killed. Where you live will have a better chance of getting something for a reasonable cost, I think.

 

[Alagirl]

I strongly recommend that you build the coop before you get the chicks.
Then you can brood them right in the coop, and there is no question about how soon the coop will be ready.
It also saves the bother and cost of setting up a separate brooder area.


Definitely a good reason to build the coop before getting chicks.
If anything comes up to prevent you building it, you can just let it wait until you are able to work on it again, and wait a bit longer before actually getting the chicks.


No firsthand experience, and they may have different packages in different parts of the country.

Many starter packages include extra things you do not need.

Needed things:
--heat source (heat lamp or brooder plate).
--something to hold food and something to hold water.
Think about what feeder and waterer you want to use when the chickens are grown up. Some styles can be used by baby chicks from the first day, so don't buy special ones for chicks until you know if you will even need them.

Things I have seen in starter kits that you probably do not need:
--a roll of cardboard to surround the chicks (only useful if you are brooding chicks on the floor of a big, safe building. Even then, you can use a big box, or cut pieces from boxes and fasten them together.)
--thermometer (if you already own a thermometer, just use the one you have.)
--little bag of chick feed (just buy the big bag, which is much cheaper per pound)
--booklet on raising chicks (you have the internet, and libraries often have good books too)

I'm pretty sure I've seen other not-needed things in such kits as well, but those are some of the most common ones.

If you need some items that are in the kit, and if the kit is genuinely cheaper than buying those items separately, then it does make sense to buy the kit. I just haven't seen a case when that would be true for me.


Check your zoning, and if you have an HOA or any restrictive covenants on your property you should check them too.

Some areas permit chickens, many suburban areas forbid chickens, and some make you get a permit or comply with special rules.

I'm sure you do not want to build a coop and get chicks, and then learn that you cannot have them, or learn that the coop should have been 10 feet further from the property line, or that you are only allowed to have 4 hens, or something else of the sort.

Setbacks from property lines, and limits on how many chickens, are pretty common in suburban areas that do allow chickens, but the exact numbers vary from one place to another. So you definitely need to check the rules in YOUR area.


Shade and ventilation are very helpful in hot weather.

I suggest you NOT build the style of coop that looks like a solid little house with an attached run. That style is good in cold climates, where the chickens spend long stretches of time indoors, and only use the run in good weather. (Common size advice: 4 square feet of space per chicken in the coop, 10 square feet per chicken in the run. More space is always fine.)

If you want it to stay in one place, I suggest you build an open air coop: solid roof, wire mesh for most walls, just enough solid walls to keep wind & rain off the roosting and nesting areas. Allow at least 10 square feet per chicken, because this serves as both coop and run (of course it is fine to attach an extra run as well.)

Or you could choose to build a movable coop (sometimes called a "chicken tractor")
Moveable coops often use wire mesh to keep predators out, and tarp instead of solid material on the roof and walls to keep out the weather. Plan on securing the tarp so it doesn't blow around, and replacing it every year or so.

Since you also want to garden, it could be nice to put the chickens in one place for a year or so (kill weeds, fertilize the soil, make compost in the chicken pen). Then move their pen over a few feet and let them prepare another place while you grow plants on the first spot. Over several years' time, you could rotate them around however many sections of garden you want to have. If you only move it once or twice a year, it doesn't have to be quite as light and portable as the ones that get moved daily. Just make sure it is not impossible to move.

Thank you so much for going into detail.

We are truly county, no HOA. One wrong turn and you may literally end up in a cow pasture! They popped some nice Ranch houses down in the 70s, but we are just outside city limits. The best of both worlds if you will. My neighbor had a goat for a while. Not sure what she did with him but springtime this year is much nicer without the goat aroma in the air.
Plus I can hear a rooster crowing most mornings. I think somebody has gamecocks nearby.

I have some known predators in the area and trouble makers. I am not sure if an all open construction would be safe enough. As I said, I know I have at least one hawk. Good Idea on the portability! I saw a picture of a tractor run combo in an old book with attached run, to cover the width of a vegetable bed. Then I got to figure that the little chicken house would be clearly 5 feet tall! (plus it had no pictures of the a-frame structure's inside. Maybe I can make a summer house and a winter house (and hopefully not stuff garden tools in the latter....) It can get wicked cold here, too. 'arctic vortex' is not good here! And we did have snow this year. Right when my plum tree and peach tree were blooming.

so back to google.....see what I can find in coop plans, Right now is a bad time to find outdoor stuff on Craigs List.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. from the NC Sandhills as a fellow inhabitant of the Steamy Southeast.

If you put your general location into your profile we can always see it and give you better-targeted advice.

Here's my article on hot climate chicken keeping: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

I strongly recommend that you build the coop before you get the chicks.
Then you can brood them right in the coop, and there is no question about how soon the coop will be ready.

Exactly what I was going to say!

Brooding out in the coop is the best way to naturally acclimate your chicks to your outdoor weather and to keep the noise, odor, and DUST out of your house.

Alabama is an excellent location for an Open Air coop -- essentially a roofed wire box with a 3-sided shelter at one end. Chickens tolerate cold easily -- down to 0F or below. They suffer in heat and need massive airflow to keep them healthy.

This is one of the reasons that prefab coops are such a bad idea. You just can't ventilate them decently.

Open Air Coops

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/jens-hens-a-southern-texas-coop.75707/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-positive-local-action-coop.72804/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/california-living.68130/

Hoop coops are some of the easiest builds and lend themselves to the Open Air design.

Hoop Coops

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hoop-tractor.69336/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hoop-coop-brooder-with-roll-up-sides.75720/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-biddie-bordello-a-hoop-coop-run-combo.72189/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/permanent-hoop-coop-guide.47818/

Space is critical. Each adult, standard-sized hen needs:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

Your 6 hens need:

• 24 square feet in the coop. 4'x6' is the only really practical build for this given the common dimensions of lumber. If you can't walk into it, put the access door in the middle of the long side to make sure you can reach all areas of the coop because a stubborn chicken WILL press itself into/lay an egg in the back corner where you can't reach.
• 6 feet of roost
• 60 square feet in the run. 6'x10' or 8'x8'.
• 6 square feet of ventilation.
• 2 nest boxes, to give the hens a choice

Note: These numbers are usually considered minimums. In a hot climate my experience is that unless I can provide DEEP shade all day I need at least double or triple the ventilation just to keep the coop under 100F on a 90F day.

I would actually suggest that with 6 hens planned you make a 4x8 coop, which has the advantage of fitting standard dimensions of lumber and also gives you a little extra room to play with. Not just because "chicken math" is real, but because a little extra elbow room is always handy for multiple purposes.

 

[Arelwood]

Does anybody have first hand experience with the tractor Supply Starter package?

When I looked into the chick starter kit, it was actually cheaper to buy it separately. Plus, those are the cheapest quality of supplies.

When I buy chicks, how long do I have to build my coop?

I would say, once they are all settled and you have spent some time with them, start. I got my coop (pre-fab) in early February and my 1st batch of chicks in late Feb. Well, chicks are now desperate to be outside and my coop isn't done yet. Because the weather won't cooperate!

what am I not considering?

As long as you have all the necessary chick needs BEFORE getting your chicks (brooder, waterers, feeders, heat source, bedding, chick feed), you have time to sort out the rest.
Questions will probably pop into your mind every week. Things that I would start with:
-Local chicken laws
-Deciding on the # of chickens you want
-Figure out a housing plan for # of chickens plus a few in case you become a victim to chicken math
-Do at least basic research into chicken diseases and healthcare. Make a chicken first aid kit. And really think if you have it in you to lance bumblefoot and clean out wounds. If you can't, find someone in your life who can (spouse, partner, parent, vet, etc)
-A major concern this year is the HPAI (chicken flu) strain that is going around. Very contagious and very fatal. Have a biosecurity plan.

I am starting my victory garden this year, chickens would be a great addition (as would be sheep and goats, and maybe a couple of horses, but let's be realistic here)

Chickens and gardens don't mix very well. You will probably want to fence your garden to keep the chickens out of it.

I am in central Alabama, it gets hot here, but most years not terribly so. (I could put solar cells on the coop roof)

Have a plan for heat. Chickens can tolerate cold much better than heat. I believe anything over 90F is a concern regarding chickens. Some people do misters around the coop, but I think that only works in non-humid areas. Not sure what Alabama has. Best ways to help chickens in hot weather: access to cool water, ventilation in the coop, and deep shade.
Since you mentioned a potential pre-fab coop. These rarely have enough ventilation. You may need to add if you buy. If you build, please do research on ventilation in coops. Very important!

 

[3KillerBs]

I believe anything over 90F is a concern regarding chickens. Some people do misters around the coop, but I think that only works in non-humid areas. Not sure what Alabama has.

Here in central NC, my chickens acclimate to the point that they think that 90F is a cool day in June, July, or August.

The US Southeast is almost always brutally humid, making misters worse than doing nothing. But it can be useful to dampen part of the run -- not soggy, but damp -- because one of the ways my southern chickens cool off is to dig down to cooler layers of soil.

 

[Arelwood]

Here in central NC, my chickens acclimate to the point that they think that 90F is a cool day in June, July, or August.

The US Southeast is almost always brutally humid, making misters worse than doing nothing. But it can be useful to dampen part of the run -- not soggy, but damp -- because one of the ways my southern chickens cool off is to dig down to cooler layers of soil.

I agree. In my locale, 90F is a beautiful cool summer day! But I also picked light breeds that wouldn't suffer as much because it gets over 110 on the regular. Plus we have high humidity in the summer. I don't have a mister. My plan is a fan in the coop, frequent water changes, and lots of shady spots to dustbathe in.

 

[3KillerBs]

I agree. In my locale, 90F is a beautiful cool summer day! But I also picked light breeds that wouldn't suffer as much because it gets over 110 on the regular. Plus we have high humidity in the summer. I don't have a mister. My plan is a fan in the coop, frequent water changes, and lots of shady spots to dustbathe in.

You can see my arrangements in the article I linked earlier in the thread.

I've tried an assortment of breeds and find that my Australrops and my California White do best, but that the Marans girls and the Langshans are pretty good too. The Wyandotte and the Wyandotte crosses are less happy. We're hoping that my son's pet Cochin is OK in her first adult summer.

Brahmas have all the characteristics that *shouldn't* handle heat, but they're weirdly heat-tolerant at least up to a point. Perhaps their thick feathers keep the heat out as well as keeping the cold out.

But big single combs definitely seems to be a strong advantage in blistering summers.

 

[Arelwood]

You can see my arrangements in the article I linked earlier in the thread.

I've tried an assortment of breeds and find that my Australrops and my California White do best, but that the Marans girls and the Langshans are pretty good too. The Wyandotte and the Wyandotte crosses are less happy. We're hoping that my son's pet Cochin is OK in her first adult summer.

Brahmas have all the characteristics that *shouldn't* handle heat, but they're weirdly heat-tolerant at least up to a point. Perhaps their thick feathers keep the heat out as well as keeping the cold out.

But big single combs definitely seems to be a strong advantage in blistering summers.

Yes, I originally wanted all Wyandottes. I think they are just lovely. But I really felt like they would be miserable here.

 

[3KillerBs]

Yes, I originally wanted all Wyandottes. I think they are just lovely. But I really felt like they would be miserable here.

Yes, the silver-laced pattern makes for the prettiest hens ever!

Mine hasn't been in distress, but I can't say that she's thrived during the summer (she lays poor-quality eggs with lots of calcium deposits so I wasn't going to breed her anyway).