Hi everyone,
I was going to say we're total newbies except that my husband grew up on a dairy/chicken farm so that's really not true! I, however, AM a total neophyte when it comes to chickens, and everything is new and exciting! Thanks to BYC, we built a coop that is about as close to predator-proof as possible (no opening anywhere bigger than 1/2", foot-deep trench with hardware cloth all the way down and across the bottom, all openings require a thumb to gain access, etc. - we took all the BYC community's cautions very seriously, especially after a friend lost 18 of 21 chickens in one night to mink, and another had to deal with a chicken left alive but legless after a raccoon attack through chicken wire... ugh).
We're waiting anxiously for our first eggs. In the meantime, it has been very entertaining to watch the stream of teenagers who arrive at the front door and just make their way straight through the house to the backyard to hang with the girls (our daughters, and the animals!). Even better than getting a trampoline! Chickens are still a novelty in our urban neighbourhood which has only recently started to allow them, and the kids find them endlessly fascinating.
Thanks also to all those who posted such great pictures and info about their own coop-building experiences. After lots of hours studying your structures, we've ended up with one that is working really nicely - super easy to clean, doesn't smell, works well for the birds, easy to get to, etc.. Thanks everyone!
Population: 6 (two Australorps, two RIRs, and two Speckled Sussex) - love them all. Sussex most decorative and most congenial in our bunch, the Australorps have been nicknamed the "hunters" because they are the ones who really go after the critters (especially slugs, and human fingers), and the RIRs just hum along...
Looking forward to learning all about all the things I don't know, and don't even know I don't know yet!
P.S. Love the advice from old-timers - they're helping us "keep it real, and keep it simple"!
I was going to say we're total newbies except that my husband grew up on a dairy/chicken farm so that's really not true! I, however, AM a total neophyte when it comes to chickens, and everything is new and exciting! Thanks to BYC, we built a coop that is about as close to predator-proof as possible (no opening anywhere bigger than 1/2", foot-deep trench with hardware cloth all the way down and across the bottom, all openings require a thumb to gain access, etc. - we took all the BYC community's cautions very seriously, especially after a friend lost 18 of 21 chickens in one night to mink, and another had to deal with a chicken left alive but legless after a raccoon attack through chicken wire... ugh).
We're waiting anxiously for our first eggs. In the meantime, it has been very entertaining to watch the stream of teenagers who arrive at the front door and just make their way straight through the house to the backyard to hang with the girls (our daughters, and the animals!). Even better than getting a trampoline! Chickens are still a novelty in our urban neighbourhood which has only recently started to allow them, and the kids find them endlessly fascinating.
Thanks also to all those who posted such great pictures and info about their own coop-building experiences. After lots of hours studying your structures, we've ended up with one that is working really nicely - super easy to clean, doesn't smell, works well for the birds, easy to get to, etc.. Thanks everyone!
Population: 6 (two Australorps, two RIRs, and two Speckled Sussex) - love them all. Sussex most decorative and most congenial in our bunch, the Australorps have been nicknamed the "hunters" because they are the ones who really go after the critters (especially slugs, and human fingers), and the RIRs just hum along...
Looking forward to learning all about all the things I don't know, and don't even know I don't know yet!
P.S. Love the advice from old-timers - they're helping us "keep it real, and keep it simple"!
from Ohio. So glad to have you aboard. Great job. 
