So happy to be a part of this Chicken Family!

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PJHN

In the Brooder
Nov 9, 2024
9
23
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Stockholm, Sweden
Hi. My name is Paula. I'm a retired expat, living in the Nordics, out in the countryside north of Stockholm, Sweden. I've always gravitated towards farmland and farm life since spending summers in my youth, in my mother's farm village in northern Italy. My uncle always had chickens and my cousins still have them. I finally have the opportunity to go with my heart's desires and have been researching all the info to have my own chickens here in Sweden. I'm not yet fluent in the language, although most Swedes speak some English, so online forums are a bit problematic for me here. I've been watching Youtube videos of chicken owners in the US, like Michigan and Minnesota, where the climate is somewhat similar to mine.

My hope is that, having joined this group, I can get help in planning for my coop, which I will hopefully start this Spring.

Thank you so much and again, I'm so happy to have found this group and to be on my way to 'chicken education' !
 
Hi Paula! so nice to have you with us!
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Hello Paula, and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.

You will want lots of ventilation (trying to target as close 1 sq foot of permanently lopen ventilation per bird in the coop) 4 sq ft of floor space and 1 linear foot of roost space per bird in the coop. Ideally, you will want a large walk-in coop and attached run with a solid roof and 1/2" hardware cloth walls that can be tarped for winter months. If you have a large out building of some kind that you can convert into a coop, it's a big advantage and saves time and money. I converted an old shed on my property into a coop and love it.

I don't advise starting out with roll away nest boxes that you mentioned in your other thread. It is uncommon for chickens to be egg eaters and they are much more comfortable and happy with a well bedded semi-private nest area that is large enough for them to stand when they lay the egg. After the first year, the hens lay very few eggs, if any, during the cold winter months so worrying about freezing eggs isn't a real issue.
 
We're so happy you found this group! It sounds beautiful there and I'm sure will be just picturesque when you get chickens!

I definitely think converting some type of shed is one of the best ways to build a coop.

Please keep us posted of your progress and let is know how your coop build is going and possibly what breeds you are thinking about.

Welcome to BackYard Chickens!
 

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