Thinking of raising chickens.

[NYCBYC]

Hi all. My name is Mike from NYC. I already am an a city beekeeper and now I want to try chickens. My big question is about the coop and run. My yard is covered with broken stone and rocks. Vegetation comes through but it is uneven. would that be an issue for the chickens? Thanks in advance for the advice.

 

[cavemanrich]

We would need some more information on your desires. How many chickens do you want to raise??? how big will the coop be??? How large of a run do you want to provide??? or do you want whole back yard to be as free range??? If you decide to stay small and keep just a few chickens. This is my Idea. Ebay sells small coops for about $200. You can build same yourself for a little savings . Now provide an appropriate run.. Less chicks, you get away with smaller run. Obviously more = bigger. . Cover run ground with sand, or soil to make even. there are other options such as deep litter. HOPE THIS HELPS.



OH YES AND

 

[RJSorensen]

Hello Mike from NYC! and welcome to BYC. Regarding your property, no rocks and stuff won't be a problem for the birds, As long as you can find or make a flat place for the coop/run to set against the ground, you can make a start. Chickens will in short order turn the most beautiful lush lawn into dirt/rocks/what have you. So perhaps in that way you are just ahead of the game. I suppose you understand you need a structure of some kind to protect the birds from being another mans or animal chicken dinner, much like your hive protects and houses your bees. The BYC standard is 4 square feet per bird in the coop and 10 square feet per bird in the run.

From there you can size the coop and run to the number of birds you wish to keep. Bigger is always better in coops/runs, but don't go crazy or you will need to spend more than you can at this time. Birds are a lot of fun, I believe you will enjoy them, there is a lot to learn, but if you can keep bees, then you can do this as well. Look around the site, the sections on coops, and feeders, chicks, health problems, most anything you need to know is right here. Ask your questions with as much detail as you can, at the time. Don't worry about knowing it all, you will, if you wish to. People round here are most helpful and nice, day by day your knowledge will grow and you will find yourself answering questions for the new bird keepers before you know it. Pitch in and help wherever and whenever you can. Others will do the same for you.

Best wishes on your new endeavor,

RJ

 

[NYCBYC]

Thanks for the information. More about my plans . I plan on 4 birds. I have seen a lot of pre made coops/runs (most likely what I will do). Would I be wrong about attaching a netting to the floor of the coop/run . My reasoning is that there are some stray cats in my area and I want to make sure the chickens are safe.

 

[cavemanrich]

In most cases cats wont bother adult chickens. I did say MOST. not all. There are numerous cats around my home. None of mine and many visitors ever bothered my hens. EXCEPT ONE and ONE TIME , in almost 20 years. To protect from predators, your run will need to be a fenced area and covered on top as well. Putting netting on floor I would discourage for few reasons. Chickens can get tangled in it. , also get their feet hurt as they scratch. Secure the sides of the run to the ground as best as you can. Make it close enough so that cats can not crawl under. Cats will not try to dig under as would coyotes. Search other threads in this forum pertaining to runs. You will read and learn very much as to how others overcame their dilemmas.

WISHING YOU BEST.

 

[Sirius452]

You could put the netting or some wire a foot or so out around the outside of the coop/run to discourage something digging in if you are worried. Hedge it with some garden border and fill it with some soil and plants your chickens can eat. Mine are notorious thieves of cherry tomatoes and pretty much anything else that happens to grow through the garden fence.