Just wanted to say hi to everyone. Been reading up a lot on chickens and decided to "take the jump". We live in a rural part of the city and have had a large garden for many years. decided this year to make the garden twice the size of the usual(like we really need MORE work?). anyhow also decided we would get chickens. Though that 4 might do? That would be a great start wouldn't it? Yeah well off to the local farm and home store we went to "look" at chickens, see what they got and all........came home with a box of 22 of the suckers! and 2 ducks! WHAT WAS I THINKIN?
anyhow, have all my plans for the coop and the run in my head. Want to convert a shed to a coop, might buy a used one, or just buy a cheapo new metal one, haven't decided yet. The run will be made from some salvaged panels from work that were fencing around machinery. It is all 7 foot tall and sections from 5 foot to 2 foot wide. We are going to completely enclose it on the top with the same material too as we have lots of hawks, owls and bald eagles even flying around the area. not to mention the fox, coons, coyotes, opossums, dogs and probably other things i haven't seen just yet.
Plan on using 5 gallon buckets as nesting boxes, as I am trying to round some up right now. But i like the idea of using the wooden boxes and access to the back side to get the eggs out. Saw an older post where someone used a metal shed for the coop and really liked the ideas he did and thought i could probably do the same. metal sheds are usually pretty cheap, can get a new metal shed for about the same as an old wooden shed, if not cheaper. Or maybe just build it from scarps i have here for a wooden fence pickets. Would the gaps in the wooden pickets allow too much air flow and cold in during the winter?
Any ideas, tips, hints etc are appreciated as I am always learning something new. such as the big bag of medicated fed I got for the chickens, i cant give to my ducks, so currently they are separated from one another, which worries me only because when i do decide to integrate them they may not get along too well, the chicks already tried to peck the poor little ducks when i put them in to just see how they get along.
OK, back to browsing the forum for more ideas..............
anyhow, have all my plans for the coop and the run in my head. Want to convert a shed to a coop, might buy a used one, or just buy a cheapo new metal one, haven't decided yet. The run will be made from some salvaged panels from work that were fencing around machinery. It is all 7 foot tall and sections from 5 foot to 2 foot wide. We are going to completely enclose it on the top with the same material too as we have lots of hawks, owls and bald eagles even flying around the area. not to mention the fox, coons, coyotes, opossums, dogs and probably other things i haven't seen just yet.
Plan on using 5 gallon buckets as nesting boxes, as I am trying to round some up right now. But i like the idea of using the wooden boxes and access to the back side to get the eggs out. Saw an older post where someone used a metal shed for the coop and really liked the ideas he did and thought i could probably do the same. metal sheds are usually pretty cheap, can get a new metal shed for about the same as an old wooden shed, if not cheaper. Or maybe just build it from scarps i have here for a wooden fence pickets. Would the gaps in the wooden pickets allow too much air flow and cold in during the winter?
Any ideas, tips, hints etc are appreciated as I am always learning something new. such as the big bag of medicated fed I got for the chickens, i cant give to my ducks, so currently they are separated from one another, which worries me only because when i do decide to integrate them they may not get along too well, the chicks already tried to peck the poor little ducks when i put them in to just see how they get along.
OK, back to browsing the forum for more ideas..............
