Got my first chicken coop on the way!!

[General Lee]

I've been wanting to try having some chickens for a while so I figured I'd jump in. I've been doing some reading and educating myself, but would like to hear some real world experiences from you guys that have them. How worth is it to have them?, pros, cons, etc.

I'm thinking about starting with 6 and would like adults so I don't have to wait months for eggs. NO ROOSTER . My chicken coop will be here this weekend. Gotta shop around for a place to buy chickens. The pic is the coop I'm getting but a different color and a small wire enclosure will be attached as a run. There will be 3 nesting boxes.

I'm trying to keep this post short so I will answer any questions if need be.

I plan to let the chickens free range somewhat supervised in a fenced in area of the yard and when not supervised, they will be enclosed in their run. My fence is 6 foot on 3 sides and 4 foot on the one side. Can a chicken get enough flight to clear the fence?

Thanks for anything you're willing to contribute

 

[Concordriver]

Congratulations on the chicken project. Chickens can easily fly over a 6 foot fence. You don't have to worry about the chickens escaping. They will sometimes leave the enclosure to forage for food. But, they will not go very far and will always come back to the coop as night approaches. Your main concern should be predators. In eastern Mass., our biggest predatory challenge is with hawks. The only way to prevent hawk attacks is to keep the chickens in a completely covered area. I don't want to do this. So, I just put up with a few hawk attacks every year.

 

[tractorshopper]

I love having chickens. Very easy animals. I have 7 gallon watering can and 5 gallon feed dish and 6 birds in mid-summer will last me a week. Longer in the winter. I have had 4-6 at a time and I raise them from chicks in the spring. Predation has been my only issue. As Concordriver stated, they return the coop each evening. The only times I've had any trouble have been times that I forgot and left the coop open in the evening instead of closing their door after dusk. This has happened to me twice in the last 2 years where coyotes or something got in the coop and got a couple of my chickens that must have startled and come off their roosts when the animals came in their and one chicken got eaten by a hawk in mid-day one time.

I can't speak to the buying laying age hens already, but you may want to keep them in the coop and runner for a few weeks at first so they know that is their home before letting them out to free range in the yard the first time. I've never had a problem with it, but that's because I raise them in a brooder in their coop until old enough to be out of the heat lamp stage in which case they don't know any other home.

My hens usually lay an egg a day a piece in their first year upon maturity and seem to lay less the second year. They lay steadily up until Christmas or so then taper off in the winter, then start heavier again in the spring. I get more eggs than my family can eat, so I give dozens away to family and friends.

 

[DFB]

The pic is the coop I'm getting but a different color and a small wire enclosure will be attached as a run. There will be 3 nesting boxes.

View attachment 350634

Wow darn fancy chicken coop...got any more pictures?

 

[General Lee]

Wow darn fancy chicken coop...got any more pictures?

No, but when I get it set up I will post some.

Thanks for the responses so far!

 

[sseelhoff]

No, but when I get it set up I will post some.

Thanks for the responses so far!

That is a good looking coop. Did you build that or order it? If it was ordered, who was the source? Look forward to reading your posts. I have been thinking about chickens for a year. Have not made the leap yet.

 

[General Lee]

That is a good looking coop. Did you build that or order it? If it was ordered, who was the source? Look forward to reading your posts. I have been thinking about chickens for a year. Have not made the leap yet.

I ordered it through the local Amish near me. Its being built this week and it will be painted barn red. I've been thinking about chickens for a while too. Decided "why not"? just do it and see if you like the experience.

 

[TnWV]

My wife decided she wanted to get chickens last spring, so I built the coop below. After looking at many different designs, I decided that it would be good for the chickens to be able to roost up high since they would be penned up most of the time. We do pen the dogs up and let the hens out a few times a week, and they have become pets and my 3 year old really enjoys them. We originally had 12 chicks, but half went to my in laws.

Probably a good decision on not getting roosters. We had several and gave all but one away. The one we kept ended up being very aggressive, and eventually became a resident of a friends freezer after jumping on my 3 year old. Probably wont get any more roosters, well just borrow one if we decide to hatch any chicks.

This is my first experience with fresh eggs, and love them. With 4 hens, we get more eggs than we can eat, and supply several family members with them. I think you will enjoy them. Good Luck!

 

[General Lee]

TnWV- thanks for the pics! I decided to skip the whole raising chicks thing in the beginning. I'd like to get started w/ eggs quickly. I thought about building my own coop as well but I'm being impatient lol.

I will however be enlarging the caged run in the near future. Its small for now until me and the chickens get the hang of things. I plan to let them run free while my dogs are penned up.

You have any issues w/ predators trying yo get in the coop?

 

[TnWV]

I haven't had any problems with predators yet, even though I see coyotes on a regular bases. This is most likely due to the two dogs being loose all the time. I did bury the chicken wire about 16" all the way around the pen to hopefully keep anything from digging their way in. I do see chicken hawks flying around some, but so far they haven't come to close.

I decided to build mine mostly because I had all materials on hand other than the 2x10's for the rafters, the purlins, some of the hardware, and the wire. I'd say I have less than $150 in everything.

It's been a good experience for my daughter, and it really doesn't cost much to feed them. I'm glad we decided to give it a try.