Hi there Washingtonians, Tailfeathers suggested that I introduce myself on this thread, so here we go. My wife and two daughters live in Woodinville and we decided to get some chicks this spring. We also have two cats and on our property we often see mice, rabbits, deer, coons, coyotes, and bobcats. I have been working all winter on a 'Fort Knox' coop and run and won't be done for another 2-3 months probably. It's a little Craftsman coop that matches the style of our house & separate garage. I'm building the whole thing in that separate garage and will roll it out when completed. The coop is designed for 5 std chickens (23 sq ft) with 2 external nest boxes and a 100 sq ft attached run. The coop and half of the run are covered with a roof. I might build a removable roof for the second half of the run for next winter, kind of like a removable hard top for a convertible car. You take it off during the summer time ;-)
I wanted to order 5 chicks on the internet but now lean more towards getting them at our local Woodinville feed store, in a month or so. They have less choices but you see what you get and they are all alive. Here's my list of top choices (I want 5 different kinds): light Sussex, double-laced Barnevelder, buff Orpington, light/buff/dark Brahma, barred Plymouth rock, silver-laced/golden-laced/Colombian/blue-laced red Wyandotte, Australorp. No rooster wanted. I read that you're more likely to get a rooster from a feed store. Yikes!
This forum has helped me quite a bit as far as designing the coop/run. Thanks all!
