What age should I get?

[SueAndHerZoo]

I would suggest the same as well. I certainly would not trust some of my dogs with my chicks and the dander even a few chicks can produce is no joke.

If the coop is fully set up in advance (run can be added later, but coop at least should be ready to go) and electricity can be run to the location then it's probably about as safe as can be for the chicks to be brooded in there, and keeps the mess entirely outside. My last 3 batches of chicks have all been raised outdoors from 2-3 days out using a "mama heating pad" - it allows them to acclimate to outdoor temperatures naturally, keeps them on a true day/night cycle, and requires next to no clean up.

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The thought of putting week old chicks outside scares the hell out of me! Behind the chain link fence at the back of my yard is lots of woods and all kinds of wildlife that would be very interested in the chicks. My dogs keep them away during the day but I would be scared to death to go to sleep, worrying that somehow something got them in the middle of the night. I would rather deal with dust, mess and supplemental heat in the house where I can keep an eye and ear on them many times a day, socialize them, and slowly let my dogs learn that these are pets, not prey. I'm sure it works for some but I'm going to be nervous enough leaving them alone the first night even when they're bigger, no way I can put the tiny little ladies out there alone!
Sue

 

[NatJ]

This is the coop and run we got, it says it's good for up to 18 chickens but I think that's a bit crowded so I decided I should probably get 8 so they have enough room as adults. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-defender-chicken-coop-2020-1168239n

They always over-estimate how many chickens a coop can hold (as compared with how many it can *comfortably* hold.)

That page says the coop part is 4.76 feet wide and 3.92 feet deep. That makes about 18.6 square feet.

If you allow 4 square feet per chicken in the coop, it is only big enough for 4 chickens.

If they consider the nestboxes to be part of the "coop" measurement, that would go down to about 3 chickens, because nestbox space is not an area they can use for just spending time (not if you want the nests to stay in good condition for egg laying. If the chickens are using that space for other purposes, they will be scratching out the nesting material, and pooping while they are in there.)


The run is listed as 10.17 feet wide and 9.76 feet deep. That makes it almost 100 square feet. Allowing 10 square feet per chicken in the run, that is about right for 9 or 10 chickens.

If you put a roof on the run (to provide rain-protection and shade), and if the chickens are never shut in the coop but always have access to the run, I would say the whole setup might work for up to 10 chickens in some climates.

If you shut the chickens in the coop every night, so they cannot get to the run until you let them out in the morning, I think 4 chickens would be a better number, maybe down to 3 or up to 5 (depending on whether the nestboxes are part of the "coop" area, and also depending on the temperaments of the individual chickens, which of course you cannot predict in advance.)

One major benefit to buying the coop before you buy the chickens: you can put it together and see how big it really is, before you make a final decision about how many chickens to get.

For any of those numbers of chickens, the run will soon be bare dirt. Even 3 chickens will kill all the grass and other plants in a short time. So you should probably have a plan for what you are going to put in there. Many people find wood chips to work well, but many other people have different preferences, based on what is available in their area and what kind of climate they have.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Pullets at Point of Lay (POL) generally cost WAY more than day-old chicks. Chicks, $3 to $5, POL pullets, closer to $30. So there's that. Also, we raise our chicks on puppy pee pads and don't have a problem with dust at all. We change the pads every night, and at 3 weeks we move them to an outside brooder.

Ultimately you just have to make a decision, take the plunge, and then learn from your mistakes, as we all have done! Good luck and have fun!

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

They always over-estimate how many chickens a coop can hold (as compared with how many it can *comfortably* hold.)

That page says the coop part is 4.76 feet wide and 3.92 feet deep. That makes about 18.6 square feet.

If you allow 4 square feet per chicken in the coop, it is only big enough for 4 chickens.

If they consider the nestboxes to be part of the "coop" measurement, that would go down to about 3 chickens, because nestbox space is not an area they can use for just spending time (not if you want the nests to stay in good condition for egg laying. If the chickens are using that space for other purposes, they will be scratching out the nesting material, and pooping while they are in there.)


The run is listed as 10.17 feet wide and 9.76 feet deep. That makes it almost 100 square feet. Allowing 10 square feet per chicken in the run, that is about right for 9 or 10 chickens.

If you put a roof on the run (to provide rain-protection and shade), and if the chickens are never shut in the coop but always have access to the run, I would say the whole setup might work for up to 10 chickens in some climates.

If you shut the chickens in the coop every night, so they cannot get to the run until you let them out in the morning, I think 4 chickens would be a better number, maybe down to 3 or up to 5 (depending on whether the nestboxes are part of the "coop" area, and also depending on the temperaments of the individual chickens, which of course you cannot predict in advance.)

One major benefit to buying the coop before you buy the chickens: you can put it together and see how big it really is, before you make a final decision about how many chickens to get.

For any of those numbers of chickens, the run will soon be bare dirt. Even 3 chickens will kill all the grass and other plants in a short time. So you should probably have a plan for what you are going to put in there. Many people find wood chips to work well, but many other people have different preferences, based on what is available in their area and what kind of climate they have.

This coop and run were given to me by my son's girlfriend who spent a fortune on this (and all kinds of swings, heaters, perches, a cover for the run area, etc.) and apparently had 15 chickens in it. As usually happens with people who jump into a hobby on a whim, she soon tired of it and gave the chicks to a farm and the coop and run have been sitting empty for 6 months. The coop is assembled and I'm going to make some revisions/upgrades to it to ensure there's very little (or no) water drips in the coop when it rains. She didn't have a door on the coop so they were free to exit and enter at their will 24/7 but I was planning to buy an automatic coop door that opens and shuts at set times. I just hate the thought of chicks out in the run after dark. Yes, from the little chance I've had to examine the coop (it arrived in my yard yesterday but it's been pouring out ever since!) the 4 nesting boxes are incorporated into the coop section.

So maybe my conservative plan for 8 chicks was not conservative enough. Maybe I should take that down to 5 or 6. I was hoping to, in a year or two, never have to buy eggs again but we go through 6-8 eggs a day in my house. Ugh, glad I don't have fully-feathered chicks yet.... this may take a bit more planning than I had hoped.

I was prepared that the free run area will be nothing but dirt once the chicks get at it but isn't that what most chicken runs end up being? HOPEFULLY (and this is a bit down the road) I will be able to free range them to live in peaceful harmony with my dogs, but if not, the dogs can be contained in the smaller fenced in yard while the chickens roam the larger fenced in yard.

So grateful to you and this forum - I've learned a lot in a very short time. My bubble has been burst slightly but that only drives me harder to find and create solutions.
Sue

 

[FrostRanger]

I would get the coop sorted first and then get day olds. Up to you whether you brood inside or outside but I would make sure the coop is 100% predator proof regardless and I would also suggest making a larger coop than you think you'll need as you'll probably want more birds later and will have to integrate them and that takes even more room. If you want 8 birds, plan for 16. Chicken math is very real

 

[rosemarythyme]

So maybe my conservative plan for 8 chicks was not conservative enough. Maybe I should take that down to 5 or 6. I was hoping to, in a year or two, never have to buy eggs again but we go through 6-8 eggs a day in my house. Ugh, glad I don't have fully-feathered chicks yet.... this may take a bit more planning than I had hoped.

I was prepared that the free run area will be nothing but dirt once the chicks get at it but isn't that what most chicken runs end up being? HOPEFULLY (and this is a bit down the road) I will be able to free range them to live in peaceful harmony with my dogs, but if not, the dogs can be contained in the smaller fenced in yard while the chickens roam the larger fenced in yard.

So grateful to you and this forum - I've learned a lot in a very short time. My bubble has been burst slightly but that only drives me harder to find and create solutions.
Sue

I think something to keep in mind is that just because this coop may not hold as many birds as you might hope for, you can always treat this as a starter set up and expand down the line for a bigger flock if you decide it's something you enjoy and want to invest more time/money in.

Just as an example, my starter coop is the wood structure on the right. My current coop is the purple shed on the left. We had 4 hens for 2 years and expanded to house 12 after that.

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

Pullets at Point of Lay (POL) generally cost WAY more than day-old chicks. Chicks, $3 to $5, POL pulkets, closer to $30. So there's that. Also, we raise our chicks on puppy pee pads and don't have a problem with dust at all. We change the pads every night, and at 3 weeks we move them to an outside brooder.

Ultimately you just have to make a decision, take the plunge, and then learn from your mistakes, as we all have done! Good luck and have fun!

I love that advice, and I love learning and enriching the lives of all my animal hobbies, but I don't ever want to learn anything at the cost of a living thing. My number one focus and priority is going to be predator proofing the entire coop and run so that I can sleep at night. I don't care if it takes motion-detection lights (which I already have all over my yard), electric fencing, or whatever else means is needed (hardware cloth everywhere?) I want them safe. I don't think I can dig 12" down around the perimeter because the ground here is nothing but packed dirt, rocks, and tree roots. But I am thinking of adding some grates or hardware cloth along the outside perimeter, parallel to the ground. Is that effective? I've also soon some sites suggest putting hardware cloth or grates along the INSIDE perimeter.

Open and eager for ideas and suggestions. My worst nightmare is going out some morning to find a slaughter.
Sue

 

[rosemarythyme]

But I am thinking of adding some grates or hardware cloth along the outside perimeter, parallel to the ground. Is that effective?

We refer to it as an apron, and yes it's effective to add hardware cloth or other wire that flares out around the exterior of the run to prevent digging in from pests and predators. Good example here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-coop-project.1169916/page-2#post-18481100

You will want to go out about 18-24" horizontally and pin the wire in place. You can cover it with sand, gravel, mulch or let grass grow back in over it, but do not add large items like pavers or large stones as that reduces the effective width of coverage.

 

[NatJ]

This coop and run were given to me by my son's girlfriend who spent a fortune on this (and all kinds of swings, heaters, perches, a cover for the run area, etc.)

If the cover is still available, that could be useful.

and apparently had 15 chickens in it...She didn't have a door on the coop so they were free to exit and enter at their will 24/7

With that many chickens, they would barely have room to sit in the coop at the same time, so I'm glad they always had access to the run!

Chickens can be kept in many different conditions. Part of the difference is how comfortable you want them to be, and part of it is what kinds of problems you are willing to deal with. Many kinds of problems are more likely when the chickens are more crowded (stinky coop & run, chickens pecking each other to the point of injury or death, outbreaks of any kind of disease or parasites, chickens getting too hot in an enclosed space, etc.) But the same problems can occur even in un-crowded chickens, and are not guaranteed to happen in crowded ones, they are just more likely in some conditions than others.

but I was planning to buy an automatic coop door that opens and shuts at set times. I just hate the thought of chicks out in the run after dark.

Once they get used to sleeping in the coop, they will put themselves in before dark. But if the coop is more predator-proof than the run, shutting the door will help keep the chickens safer, because any predator that gets into the run will not have such easy access to the coop.

You might also check what kind of latches are on all the doors. Raccoons are notorious for opening some common kinds of latches (example: hook & eye fasteners.)

So maybe my conservative plan for 8 chicks was not conservative enough. Maybe I should take that down to 5 or 6. I was hoping to, in a year or two, never have to buy eggs again but we go through 6-8 eggs a day in my house. Ugh, glad I don't have fully-feathered chicks yet.... this may take a bit more planning than I had hoped.

I was prepared that the free run area will be nothing but dirt once the chicks get at it but isn't that what most chicken runs end up being? HOPEFULLY (and this is a bit down the road) I will be able to free range them to live in peaceful harmony with my dogs, but if not, the dogs can be contained in the smaller fenced in yard while the chickens roam the larger fenced in yard.

So grateful to you and this forum - I've learned a lot in a very short time. My bubble has been burst slightly but that only drives me harder to find and create solutions.

Advance planning definitely does help

I see too many threads from new chicken-keepers that started with the cute chicks, and were scrambling to figure out the coop and run as the chicks outgrew their brooder. I really prefer to see people plan ahead!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

never have to buy eggs again

Unfortunately, they don't lay year round, nor year after year indefinitely. They need 12 to 14 hours of daylight to lay, so in the winter, with short daylight hours, they will take a break, sometimes for months, unless you provide supplemental lighting, which has its own set of problems. Some won't lay in the hottest part of summer, and they don't lay while molting. Finally, they don't lay while broody, or setting on eggs to hatch them (which some breeds are more likely to do than others; some never do) or while raising the chicks. And most hens lay really prolifically only for two or three years and then slow down or even stop. So many of us purchase or hatch a new crop of layers every year or two, which means you have to decide what to do with your "retired" hens.

I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer here, these are just practical matters every chicken owner needs to consider. Some people keep their hens as pets until they die of old age. I've heard of some that live to 8 or 10 years or longer.