Good morning folks! I live up in Hugo, north of white bear lake. We are looking to get a coop and everything ready to go in 2018 to start raising layers in 2019. I'm deciding on coop plans and settled with an easy access basic design that allow for easy cleaning as well.
As far as cold weather, I plan on using the ventilation method, along with flat roosting bars to protect their feet. And deep layer mulch(might not be right term) for For their run, the coop will be kind of hooked into my large garden, but it's fenced in. I also plan giving them access to my compost bin. I have a large 1000sqft of raised beds that will eventually become 3000sqft of raised beds over the next 5 years - so we need to be generating lots of compost with nutrient rich poop!
Anyway, that's where I'm at now. I'm also planning on a large run in the event that I need to keep them penned up for any reason (and the initial growing period). Initially, I plan to feed store bought, with the intentions of growing their food in the future.
Is there anything that you wished you'd thought of or considered before having hens? I'm still in the planning phase and would love to hear some advice from seasoned keepers.
PS: I'm thinking 6 hens to start (not breed picky, just want good layers that tolerate cold temps and a mix of white and brown eggs), with the ability to expand to 10-12 hens after a year or two.
Edited for spelling
