- Sep 7, 2012
- 67
- 5
- 31
So I got a new-used coop, and I'm trying to decide who's going to be living in it come May. You can see it here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...vice-questions-on-ventilation-and-deep-litter
According to the square footage, I can have four hens. My plan originally was to order four hens from Meyer's and pick then up in the beginning of April, but after talking with my mother (who bought the coop for me and who I still live with) I ordered six. Her reasoning was that, if we lost one or two in the beginning, we'd still have a flock. Also, if we ever wanted to add to our flock, we'd have to get at least three, so if we were to lose a few hens and needed to add more, we'd be over four anyway. So, we figured our best bet would be to get six just in case we lost some to keep us from having to introduce new chicks to a limited space where they might be picked on.
I'm hoping to figure out a way to get the coop and run into our dog pen, so they'll have a lot more space to run in. Hopefully we can, but we don't know for sure, and if we can't they'll be a lot more confined than they would be in the pen. I'm going to try to let them free range if I can, maybe make them a pen of some sort to go around the built-in run or that I could put them in and move around, I'm not sure. I may also just put chicken wire around the dog pen anyway, and pick them all up and put them in there for a few hours every day just so they have the space and protection from dogs.
I'm also worried about combs... we have very volatile winters here, humid, subzero-then-mid-40's, up and down winters that make me worry about frostbite. Gotta love NE Ohio. I know a lot of people around here manage to have hens with single combs and never have a problem, but I still worry. I think I'll be adding an additional ventilation hole to my coop if I can (I don't have the tools but I should be able to convince someone who does to help me, hopefully), but I'm still worrying about the single combs on some of the girls I'm getting. If I get the six, I'll be getting one Buckeye, one OE (either Legbar x Maran or Americauna x Maran), three EE's and a Meyer Meal Maker, who will be my 'mystery layer' so I'm not sure what she'll be. That's potentially two hens with single combs.
I keep wondering if I made the right choice. Should I risk it, with two hens with single combs and six hens altogether, or go for four (and if I do four, what kind of combs should I aim for, if it even matters)? I'd really love some input- this is really stressing me out, haha.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...vice-questions-on-ventilation-and-deep-litter
According to the square footage, I can have four hens. My plan originally was to order four hens from Meyer's and pick then up in the beginning of April, but after talking with my mother (who bought the coop for me and who I still live with) I ordered six. Her reasoning was that, if we lost one or two in the beginning, we'd still have a flock. Also, if we ever wanted to add to our flock, we'd have to get at least three, so if we were to lose a few hens and needed to add more, we'd be over four anyway. So, we figured our best bet would be to get six just in case we lost some to keep us from having to introduce new chicks to a limited space where they might be picked on.
I'm hoping to figure out a way to get the coop and run into our dog pen, so they'll have a lot more space to run in. Hopefully we can, but we don't know for sure, and if we can't they'll be a lot more confined than they would be in the pen. I'm going to try to let them free range if I can, maybe make them a pen of some sort to go around the built-in run or that I could put them in and move around, I'm not sure. I may also just put chicken wire around the dog pen anyway, and pick them all up and put them in there for a few hours every day just so they have the space and protection from dogs.
I'm also worried about combs... we have very volatile winters here, humid, subzero-then-mid-40's, up and down winters that make me worry about frostbite. Gotta love NE Ohio. I know a lot of people around here manage to have hens with single combs and never have a problem, but I still worry. I think I'll be adding an additional ventilation hole to my coop if I can (I don't have the tools but I should be able to convince someone who does to help me, hopefully), but I'm still worrying about the single combs on some of the girls I'm getting. If I get the six, I'll be getting one Buckeye, one OE (either Legbar x Maran or Americauna x Maran), three EE's and a Meyer Meal Maker, who will be my 'mystery layer' so I'm not sure what she'll be. That's potentially two hens with single combs.
I keep wondering if I made the right choice. Should I risk it, with two hens with single combs and six hens altogether, or go for four (and if I do four, what kind of combs should I aim for, if it even matters)? I'd really love some input- this is really stressing me out, haha.
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