Wanting to Raise Chickens

[Puddin14]

Hi Everyone. I'm new to BYC and new to raising chickens. I have never raised them and I have always wanted to have chickens. My local TSC has them in, however, before I can purchase the baby chicks, my other half insists that I have a coop ready for them for when its time for them to be outside. Because I really want to raise them, is there a quick simple coop or something that I can put together in a weekend so that I can purchase the babies. I don't know why I have to have the coop all ready for adult chickens when the chicks will be inside for a few more weeks, I live in Michigan and it will be cold for a little while yet, but I guess I must do what I must do in order to experience the joys of being a chicken mama. I'm hoping some of you can help me achieve this.

Thank you so much.
Lori

 

[Charlieandlola]

I would pick out a coop plan or design also before buying them. If you are building something yourself, sometimes it takes longer than you think it will.

You can look for coop ideas to build yourself on this website or you can buy something that just needs to be assembled. Even farm stores carry chicken coops for small flocks. How many are you getting?

 

[OCpeep]

Glad you're thinking ahead. The chicks will grow quickly, and you don't want to be caught without a coop for them to move into. There are lots of options for coops. The coops page has lots of ideas. Do you plan on building one or buying one that's already done? You may also find someone selling coops on craigslist in your area.

 

[MoonShadows]

Hi Lori,

Welcome to BYC. By all means have your coop well-thought-out before you bring your babies home. And, don't just settle for a coop you can have so you can get your chicks faster. My chicks won't arrive until the week of April 8th, but I have been researching, mainly on BYC, since the beginning of January. Since then, I have learned so much that has affected the way I first thought, particularly about my coop. What I first thought I would build, and what I am going to build now are two different coops, and I'm glad I did not rush into building/choosing a coop. I plan to start building within the next week or so, so that it will be ready by Mother's Day...about the time my chickens will be ready to move outside to larger quarters. I am an impulsive guy, but this is not an impulsive buy; these are living creatures, and I have had to curb my impulses so I can make sure I have the best home for them that I can provide.

Jim

 

[jrudolph305]

How many chickens do you want? Do you live in the country, suburbs? What predators are around? If you search these forums you will see all sorts of coops from basic to extravagant. Our first coop I probably sketched out a couple dozen plans because it needed more ventilation or roosts or access to clean or size of run or a number of things that needed tweaking. Good luck and enjoy the process.

 

[Deerling]

How many chickens do you want? Do you live in the country, suburbs? What predators are around?

Answers to these questions will really help people with specific coop recommendations! Budget, too. Our local feed store has coops that you can buy and are all set up, you might check there. Or Craigslist, there are always coops on ours (SF Bay Area) both people selling their own coops and people who build them for a living.

 

[Puddin14]

I'm wanting to start with 6, but being the animal lover that I am, i'm sure I will want more. For just starting however, I feel 6 is a good start. I definitly want to make sure they have enough room and will be safe. I live out in the country, and have lots of room. Predators include: raccoons, opossums, foxes, coyotes as well as neighborhood dogs that run loose and feral cats. So...yeah, I want something safe, sturdy, and what doesn't cost an arm and a leg, is that possible?

 

[cknkids]

Defiantly figure out your coop plan and better yet have it built before getting chicks. We didn't and they lived in our family room for way too long. I've included a link to the Purina coop it's free and I wish I'd had it as a starting point

http://poultry.purinamills.com/stellent/groups/public/documents/web_content/ecmd0007989.pdf

Good luck and enjoy.

 

[MoonShadows]

For 6 you will need a coop with at least 24 square feet of flooring and a run of at least 60 square feet of space. However, since you said you will probably want more, the rule of thumb is 4 sq ft per chicken for the coop and 10 sq ft per chicken in the run. You seem to run the gauntlet in predators. Your run should have maximum security which means at least 2 ft of hardware cloth buried around the perimeter to deter digging predators and hardware cloth covering the sides and top for the "squeeze through predarors" and the climbers. Unless you want to use reclaimed, recycled and Craig's List materials to build your coop and run yourself, then plan on paying between $500 - $1000 (ball park) to properly house and protect your initial 6 chickens. It will be more economical whichever way you decideto go to build for the total amount of chickens you see yourself with in the long run.

 

[Jennsbirds]

I can't vouch for these personally (yet), but if you want something easy' the spirasl coop has been recommnded to my fiance and me for years from urban farmers around us.

There's also a snap-together coop from chickensforbackyards, a sponsor on this site. I really want to know if it'sas good asit sounds.