Chickens

[breezygirl]

Hi

I am wondering if anyone has chickens? If so what breeds and can you share some ideas about your coop design?

[BenRaines]

Don't currently have chickens. Have raised several hundred during my lifetime. We always used white leg chickens, all white, can also use Rhode Island Reds. One lays white eggs the other brown eggs. What type of area do you have for raising chickens. We had an open area, pen, where we kept our and the coop was where they roosted and laid their eggs.

Depends on where you are and the weather that you have and also what predators are in the area how your pen or coop is. Share more about where you have to put the chickens and how many you are thinking of.

Ben Raines

[gabelpa]

I concur with Ben, We need to know what the area you are thinking of keeping the chickens in is like. It also depends on how much space you have. Bantams are good for small spaces as they are a compact kind of chicken.

[BenRaines]

Well if you are getting chickens for "look pretty" then get bantams. If you are getting for eggs then bantams lay eggs that are very small. I would like a dozen bantam eggs for scrambled egg breakfast, please.

Ben Raines

[Palerider]

Well if you are getting chickens for "look pretty" then get bantams. If you are getting for eggs then bantams lay eggs that are very small. I would like a dozen bantam eggs for scrambled egg breakfast, please.

Ben Raines

and some bacon on the side....:)

[BenRaines]

Yes we raised a couple pigs at a time too so that we would have bacon with those eggs.

Ben Raines

[breezygirl]

Thanks for the reply. I am going to be getting 2 buff orplingtons (city only lets me have 2). They are big chickens that lay between 3 and 5 eggs per week which is more than enough for just the 2 of us. I have a 10 x 10 dog run that I am going to put a roof on to keep coons out. I was planning on using it for the pen and putting a small coop inside it for shelter ,roosting and laying. The predators we have had in the yard include hawks( they bath in my pond:rolleyes:)coons and fox. So far we have escaped the coyotes on my block but I expect to see them at some point since Colorado is overrun with them. Buff orplingtons are really docile and sweet natured and these guys will likely be half pet and half breakfast producer.

I was thinking a small slanted roof kind of coop with an outside accessible nest box and sliding shutters to go over the windows in in bad weather. We get a huge range in weather from 60 degree days like today to -30. The pen is situated under a huge ash tree and faces east so it gets morning sun only in the summer and is shaded the rest of the day. It gets a fair amount of all day sun during the winter. I was planning on tarping the west and north sides of the kennel during winter to block the prevailing winds while leaving the east and south sides open for sunlight.

Does this sound like a good plan? Can you offer any advice or suggest changes ? I have wanted chickens for 20 years and want to do this right so I am happy and grateful to get any advice I can get.

thanks

[Guest DeborahC]

Does your dog run have concrete bottom? Otherwise, you'll get crafty critters digging under the fence. One option is to dig down about 10 or 12 inches and bury chicken wire or other hardware cloth around the bottom, then cover with earth. That way, when they try to dig under, they hit fencing.

[BenRaines]

I have always thought of chickens as food and food producers not pets. Concrete floor will work but will need to make sure that you have a good supplement in their feed or the egg shells will be soft.

Each producing 3-5 eggs a week. I think that is being overly optimistic. There is molting time and time when they won't produce. Also only good for two to three years at the most to produce eggs.

Ben Raines

[breezygirl]

No concrete floor but it is dig proof. It was set up with a dig proof barrier around the outside edge and the inside perimiter.As far as them being pets I mean that in the sense of feeding them treats by hand and having them tame enough to approach and handle. My grandma always had chickens and we always had one or two that were really tame and would come when called and eat from your hand. I know they have a limited laying life and according to everybody I talked to at stock show ,buffs are prolific layers when they are laying. I live about 6 blocks from city hall and the local police department so Im not exactly rural. I cant free range my hens and at .70/.80 cents a pound chickens to eat are way cheaper to buy. I also really hated having to pluck after butchering at my grandmas so not really looking to raise these guys for meat although as big as buffs get they would probably make good roasting birds. I just miss the taste of home grown eggs and I like chickens so......here we are getting ready to buy a couple of pullets. Im sure it sounds goofy but I'm actually ok with being goofy:)

[faif2d]

We have chickens and they are worth the trouble for the fresh eggs. ours sleep in a concrete floored wire and wood caged portion of the barn. we used to have some dog run fencing that was left open to the sleeping quarters and something got in through a small crack and killed one a night until I could get a locking door built. (cost us 2 birds) we just raised 4 golden comets from chicks. They are one of the hybrids that you can till sex by appearance so we were assured of getting 4 girls. They were hand raised in our laundry room this spring and are still quite tame. They really love old bread and will take it from your hand and even climb into your lap. We have to many hawks to allow them to free range.

[lindapruss]

hi...i love my girls....just got 4 reds....not too big but not small...had bantams before/very friendly

This time I got large Dog Crate....they loved it. I was in wheel chair and could not make to coop.

They just sleep and lay there so 1' roost per chicken seems okay. I drilled hole and put fruit limb through holes and sealed. During cold weather i put the old fashioned 9v clear christmas bulbs on! Gives off enough heat and i cover with an old piece of carpet to keep wind off plastic. Keep your poopy hay in and that gives off heat too. Chickens love water so i tie wrap large container to door grate. enjoy