Rookie to the rooster!?

[fatherof5]

I am new to the chicken raising...two questions...1.) Can I use a bathroom exhaust fan for ventilation in my chicken coop? 2.)What are the best laying hens to feed my family of 7? Oh by the way we live in Minnesota

 

[SmartyChick]

first off

secondly, you might want to repost this in the "Managing My Flock" section on the index, you might get more responses
IMHO the Exhaust fan:

our coop has windows that we leave open (with screen). I don't think you need something so high tech for ventilation. Drill small holes in your walls and use a screened window, I think that should cover it.

Are you looking for meat birds or laying birds, there is also multi purpose chickens for both. You can use the breed selector tool on this site to narrow down your choices.

 

[Whitehouse Quail]

Yaay! More chicken people!

First: You could use the exhaust fan, but it seems like quite a bit of money for ventilation! Like SmartyChick said, just put some windows/wire in the coop, and you'll be as good as gold!

As for chicken breeds:

I personally like Barred Rocks and Buff Orpingtons as layers. They aren't funky hybrids like the White Leghorn (not that you can't get nice purebred ones, but the hybrids, *shudder*) They lay about 5-6 eggs a week each, which if you have space for 10-20 chickens is a pretty big number. Easter Eggers/Ameracuna thingys lay cool blue/green eggs, which are tasty, and quite the novelty! Marans and welsummers lay dark, almost black brown eggs, though I can't attest to the number.

If you are looking for egg production, stay away from bantams and smaller standards, as they are bred for looks, not egg capacity. (Not to say that Barred Rocks and Buff Orpingtons aren't totally awesome!)