Still thinking about it

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newegg055

newegg055

In the Brooder
Oct 24, 2020
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Hello all,
My name is Ken and I'm inspired by my daughter and her husband who have been raising chickens for a while (over 10 years). First in Chicago and now in Detroit. I haven't taken the plunge yet as I'm still unsure what kind of chicken coup I should build that would pass the HOA ACC scrutiny. I'd like to build one to enable up to 12 hens but start out with maybe 6 to help me get my feet wet.

I live in Fort Worth, so it does get really hot. The chicken coup and run would be under trees, so they would be in the shade. I also wouldn't have any electricity out there. My wife and travel a bit, so I'm also wondering how best to handle things when away. Sometimes for over a month.

Well, that's it for now. Any words of encouragement or idea on coups would be welcome.

Cheers,
Ken
 
newegg055 said:
My wife and travel a bit, so I'm also wondering how best to handle things when away. Sometimes for over a month.
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Maybe find someone who is willing to take care of the chickens, and build a second coop on their property. Then when you travel, you just take the chickens to live at their place.

Obviously this only works if there is someone close enough and willing to take in the chickens, and if you are willing to arrange a second coop.

I once had an arrangement like this with a friend who lived about a half-hour drive away-- too far to conveniently drive each day to tend chickens, but not a big deal to move the chickens to their place before I left and back to my place later. The deal was that my friend could use the coop however they wanted the rest of the time (extra space for their chickens, storage shed, whatever), and I would give them some notice of when I was going to travel. At a later point, when I no longer had chickens, the coop was still theirs to keep and use.
 
Glad to meet you, Ken, and welcome to BYC. I am another long time day dreamer, but am glad I took the chicken plunge.

Here are some articles to help you:

1. Pickin' the Right Frickin' Chicken

2. Ventilation (important to chicken health), with helpful links to coop designs organized by climate (because what is just right for my New England hens won't work for my brother's Arizona chickens)

3. Farmers Almanac on Building Coops (Includes size requirements!) Allowing plenty of space for chickens is really important because, even as chicks, they will start pecking each other or plucking their own feathers, or become unhealthy if they are overcrowded. Here is a link to Colorado State Extension's publication on space and temperature requirements for chicks as they age.

4. Predator protection for new & existing coops
 

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