SUPER newb. Beginner in all aspects of raising ANY type of chicken, and I'm completely overwhelmed

[Gulley]

You may have seen this before, I also posted it under "Breeds, Genetics, and Showing" but I think I will get better answers from here since its really a space question.

Hello all,

Next year I am moving into a townhouse with a space that I think would be great for chickens, but What do I know? My inspiration for doing this is that I'm tired of relying on eggs I buy from the supermarket, because I don't like the way that the laying hens are kept in cages, and I just don't know how those "free range" chickens are treated either. I've heard that a lot of that stuff is convoluted, and that "free range" for those farms isn't really all that much better than those 8x8 inch cages. I'm just sick of the abuse and I don't want to sustain myself on it if it comes our of misery. I hate the farmers market, because its way overpriced, (in the college town where I live) and because I am NOT a schmuck, I will not be straight up robbed for my money. So, that being said, if I decide to get chickens, I want them to be happy and better off with me than they would be somewhere else.

I want it to be the right decision for me, and for them, as well. Okay, so the "run" that I would have for them is actually an enclosed porch with high privacy fencing. The floor is concrete and the space itself is at least 15 feet by 15 feet, if not 20 by 20. I don't have an exact measurement, but it can't be any smaller or larger than that. Attached to this run, there is a closet that is meant for storing outside items like lawnmowers and shovels. This is the space that I was planning to convert to a coup and build their roost therein. This is attached to the run area, and is about 10 feet long and 4 feet wide. It is actually a surprising amount of space.

Because I am just now getting into chickens, (I'm 23, city raised girl, going to college), I want to start small. I'm not interested in a flock right now, but I eventually will be.

1) I want to keep 1 or 2 hens. Do they need more socialization than this? Or can I keep just 1 hen if I wanted to? Is that cruel?

2) I'm looking at bantams because of their manageable sizes, and great colors and personalities. What breeds of bantams would you recommend for my space limitations?

3) I should not get a rooster because I don't want to raise chickens, I just want to keep some hens. But, do hens need a rooster to keep them happy or is that perfectly normal to have a small flock of just hens?

I think that I could handle having three hens, but I don't know what their space requirements are. I know that the run is a concrete floor also, so I was wondering if there was anyway to do poop control on that. Should I spread sand and make it one giant litter box?

Is this even possible or should I just this dream self-sufficiency go?

Thanks all, I look forward to your advice.

 

[jjrj254]

Hens are very social creatures that like to be in flocks but 3-4 is ok. Bantams do not require that much space so you seem to have that taken care of. I would recommend some Orpington, barred rock, or wyandotte breed. Keep in mind that if you want egg production bantams produce really small eggs. I think having dirt instead of sand would be preferable. Hope this helps and best of luck!!!

 

[SusanPC]

Hi and welcome. I'm a newbie too, but can give you some insight into the things I've researched and learned. I was originally interested in having one or two chickens and wound up getting four. Chickens need other chickens. I read that if you only get two, one could pick on the other and then there's the problem of what to do with the only chicken if something happens to the other. That led me to the choice to get three. Then, my husband said "what if one chick dies or turns out to be a rooster?". That got us to four. I actually think 5 would be a nice number, but for your townhome porch project, you should probably stick closer to three. I'm sure there are others that do great with 2, but now that I've seen them interacting, I like having four and if I had more coop/run space, I would love a flock of 5. No need for a rooster at all. Smaller-sized Banty's seem a great choice for your setup. Someone else can tell you more about breeds, etc. I don't have enough experience.

I think it's interesting to contemplate the set-up you propose. Off the top of my head, the first considerations that come to mine.

• are you going to pass through the screened in porch to get outside? If so, it's probably not going to work. Chickens make a lot of poop and you don't want to be walking through that on your way outside. AND you don't want the run connected in any way to a door to your home- again, too messy. But you could partition off an area so you can still have access, etc. or be able to step outside onto your porch, away from your home entry. Keep that "partitioning-off" in mind.
• I'm not sure the screen from a screen porch would be secure enough to keep out some predators, like raccoons. Someone else could probably attest to that. So you may still need to use a secure wire inside the screen for the run.
• The closet for a coop sounds good, it will just take work and modifications to make it chicken-friendly,well-ventilated, and easy to keep clean. If the inside of the closet is sheetrock there may be additional considerations, like covering the walls in "something".
• Make sure of local/neighborhood regulations. You'd hate to get all invested and attached and then have to give them up. :-(

One thing I love so far about BYC and chicken-keeping in general is that once the accommodations are sorted out (and even that can always be updated, modified, and improved upon), it's pretty easy. I didn't feel a lot of pressure to get everything perfect once I decided to do it. I'm a high-anxiety, overly worried type of person and this has been a great low-stress hobby. With BYC to get advice and use for research, the process has gone smoothly and the girls are doing great out in their run/coop at 6 weeks old.

Good luck!