What do I need to get started??

[aurora11]

Newbie here. I will be getting 5 hens in mid-October. These are what I agreed to purchase from the farmer:
"1 leghorn which lays pure white large egg, won’t be a pet but will be a machine pumping out really nice eggs, 1 Hyline brown which will lay beautiful medium brown eggs but is very friendly and curious, then two Easter eggers for the green blue eggs and then a barred rock for a light tan/pink egg.". They will all begin laying within a month (so not babies). What do I need to have ready for when I bring them home. I have a coop and run, but nothing else. I live in Hawaii if that changes anything. Mahalo!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Congratulations and welcome to BYC! These are great questions. Well, first you need a safe place to house your chickens, a coop. Plan to provide about 4 sq ft per chicken for them to be comfortable. Crowding causes behavior problems like bullying, pecking, feather picking. This is where they will sleep and lay their eggs, so it should have nests and roosts. The roosts should be higher than the nests, so the hens won't sleep in the nests and soil them. You'll need some kind of litter for the floor of the coop and some nesting material for the nests. You should also probably have a run, a fenced area for them to spend the majority of their days. They should have about 10 sq ft of space in the run. The run can have some kind of litter as well, like shredded bark for example. You may not need it unless the ground is bare. Fencing around the run should be sturdy enough to deter predators, so not chicken wire. Hardware cloth is advised. Do not allow gaps that snakes can get in. Cover the ground around the run as well in an "apron" of hardware cloth and cover it with rocks to deter digging. You may need to cover the run if predatory birds are a problem.

You will need feeders and commercial food such as pellets or crumbles, waterers and separate containers for oyster shell and crushed granite grit. The grit is for digestion. The oyster shell aids in making good sturdy egg shells.

Perhaps other residents of Hawaii may wish to modify this list. Mahalo!

 

[Bananabread]

Do you have a picture of your set up ? i.e., coop and run? it'll help us get an idea what you may need.

 

[aurora11]

Congratulations and welcome to BYC! These are great questions. Well, first you need a safe place to house your chickens, a coop. Plan to provide about 4 sq ft per chicken for them to be comfortable. Crowding causes behavior problems like bullying, pecking, feather picking. This is where they will sleep and lay their eggs, so it should have nests and roosts. The roosts should be higher than the nests, so the hens won't sleep in the nests and soil them. You'll need some kind of litter for the floor of the coop and some nesting material for the nests. You should also probably have a run, a fenced area for them to spend the majority of their days. They should have about 10 sq ft of space in the run. The run can have some kind of litter as well, like shredded bark for example. You may not need it unless the ground is bare. Fencing around the run should be sturdy enough to deter predators, so not chicken wire. Hardware cloth is advised. Do not allow gaps that snakes can get in. Cover the ground around the run as well in an "apron" of hardware cloth and cover it with rocks to deter digging. You may need to cover the run if predatory birds are a problem.

You will need feeders and commercial food such as pellets or crumbles, waterers and separate containers for oyster shell and crushed granite grit. The grit is for digestion. The oyster shell aids in making good sturdy egg shells.

Perhaps other residents of Hawaii may wish to modify this list. Mahalo!

Thank you so much for the help!!! I will start looking around for all of these things so that I am as prepared as possible when they arrive.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I think @BigBlueHen53 meant 10 sq ft of space in the run per bird, not 10 sq ft total.

 

[aurora11]

I think @BigBlueHen53 meant 10 sq ft of space in the run per bird, not 10 sq ft total.

Thank you. The run I have purchased is about 10 ft x 3 ft . So I may need to add onto it and make it longer?

 

[BarnyardChaos]

You've got great suggestions so far! I just want to add a bit:
VENTILATION, and SHADE.
Ventilation is the most overlooked, misunderstood, and probably the most critical feature of your coop. Please be sure your coop is equipped with plenty of vents and open windows (covered in 1/4" or 1/2" hardware cloth, not chicken wire). You see, chicken manure contains lots of ammonia and moisture. And in your climate, things can get stuffy and humid. Without proper ventilation, that leads to respiratory distress and other issues. If the coop isn't comfortable, they'll choose elsewhere to roost and lay their eggs. If your coop does not already have at least 1 sq ft of vent space per bird (or more, in your climate), then ADD some.
And SHADE is important to help the chickens regulate their body temperature - that, and plenty of fresh water at all times.

Let's see.... coop, run, coop bedding and litter, protection from weather and predators, ventilation, shade, waterers, feeders, proper chicken feed, oyster shell and grit.... those are the basic necessities. You'll add more, I'm sure, to make things more enjoyable for yourself and the flock as time goes by.

I've built up a poultry first-aid kit with things like calcium tablets, Vitamin B complex, Vitamin E (because I hatch chicks), Blu-Kote (for injuries), vet wrap, worming medication, electrolyte powder, vaseline (for scaly leg mites), a small scalpel (for bumblefoot), Nutri-Drench, antibiotic ointment, scissors, and a few other things, all in a small plastic tool box. Oh, and a bag of epsom salts (to help relieve egg-binding). Indispensable to have on hand when the need arises.

You'll also probably want to gather some coop cleaning supplies - like a sturdy scraper, hand-broom and dustpan, and a cat litter scoop. Depending on what kind of litter you choose for the coop (sand or wood chips are most common), you'll need a device to sift sand, like a rake; or to shovel soiled wood chips out, like a scoop shovel. I also keep some Stall-Dry or PDQ Coop Refresher on hand to spread out between cleanings.

Lots of folks are adding security cameras so they can monitor things from a distance, during the day or night. NOT at all necessary, but very helpful if a predator breaches your defenses and gets inside. Also helpful to identify a bully in the flock.

Print this out and tack it to your refrigerator, so you know which scraps and treats can be fed to the chickens and which things are bad for them or even toxic:
https://www.newlifeonahomestead.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/what_chickens_can_eat_checklist.pdf

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Thank you. The run I have purchased is about 10 ft x 3 ft . So I may need to add onto it and make it longer?

Possibly, yes. If there is a bully in the flock, the one(s) being picked on will have a hard time escaping. Wider would be better than longer, but do what you can. Some folks with too-small runs compensate by letting their chickens free-range much of the day. But with that comes the risk of predatory losses.

Does your coop have at least 20 sq ft of floor space (5 birds x 4 sq ft each)?
Five linear feet of roosting space?
At least two nesting boxes?
Adequate ventilation?

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Placing obstructions in the run can help if there's a bully. Not saying you'll have one, but it's common and best to be prepared. Just clutter it up with anything that will break the line of sight between chickens, and give the underlings somewhere to take cover. A turned over chair, leaning pallets, stack of blocks, extra roosts, etc. Of course, don't add too much or you're subtracting from run space, right?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Thank you. The run I have purchased is about 10 ft x 3 ft . So I may need to add onto it and make it longer?

Wider, actually. At least twice as wide if possible. Really if you can aim for more than the suggested minimums you've seen mentioned you'd be better off. Flocks don't have issues with too much space, but they definitely can have issues with too little space, and minimums may not meet the needs of all birds.

Width is a factor because chickens have a personal bubble of up to 5-6 ft as well as a pecking order, and if a bird gets too close to a dominant or bully bird it can cause them to get chased or attacked.