Building My First Flock-- Need Help With Breed Compatibility and Startup :)

[aart]

That sounds great Gabe!

Go big on the coop...you wont' be sorry.
What is your climate/locaation?

 

[lazy gardener]

I'd forget the silkies and RIR. Hatchery RIR can be mean. Hatchery silkies are often poor quality and at times don't do well in mixed flocks.

Agreed.

@Mrs.K, I have not yet planned out my coop specifically, but will post possible designs when those are completed

Quote: Have you already placed your order? If so, your chosen breeds will be lovely. If not: I prefer small combed birds for northern climates, as that makes them less prone to frost bite. Larger combed birds are able to dissipate extra heat through those large floppy combs and wattles. I am surprised you did not order any EE for their blue/green eggs. Excellent bird, and they sure do make that egg basket pretty, as well as having nice personality, and being nice lawn ornaments. I prefer multiple birds of the same breed, while having a mixed flock, b/c in my experience, birds tend to hang out with birds that bear the same feather color/pattern. Some roos even show a dislike for hens of a certain color. Some hens will reject certain colored chicks. The ultimate predjudiced and snobby animal! Check out Henderson's chicken breeds chart.

Also, you might consider: heating pad brooding, fermented feed, deep litter management in the coop and run. Hoop coops are very easy builds, and work very well for deep litter management.

Be sure you build your coop tall enough, and with a minimum of 4 s.f./bird.

Sounds like an ambitious class project. Kudos to you.

You might even consider adding a feed comparison segment to your project: Give your birds regular feed for a few weeks (once they are laying), followed by 3 - 6 weeks of fermented feed. Then, switch back to regular feed. Do a photographic comparison of egg yolk color, and egg size for each time frame. This would be best done during the months when they do not have access to forage from your yard.

 

[GabeBlue]

That sounds great Gabe!

Go big on the coop...you wont' be sorry.
What is your climate/locaation?

I am in central Ohio, so it will definitely be getting cold here in the winter.

Agreed.

Have you already placed your order? If so, your chosen breeds will be lovely. If not: I prefer small combed birds for northern climates, as that makes them less prone to frost bite. Larger combed birds are able to dissipate extra heat through those large floppy combs and wattles. I am surprised you did not order any EE for their blue/green eggs. Excellent bird, and they sure do make that egg basket pretty, as well as having nice personality, and being nice lawn ornaments. I prefer multiple birds of the same breed, while having a mixed flock, b/c in my experience, birds tend to hang out with birds that bear the same feather color/pattern. Some roos even show a dislike for hens of a certain color. Some hens will reject certain colored chicks. The ultimate predjudiced and snobby animal! Check out Henderson's chicken breeds chart.

Also, you might consider: heating pad brooding, fermented feed, deep litter management in the coop and run. Hoop coops are very easy builds, and work very well for deep litter management.

Be sure you build your coop tall enough, and with a minimum of 4 s.f./bird.

Sounds like an ambitious class project. Kudos to you.

You might even consider adding a feed comparison segment to your project: Give your birds regular feed for a few weeks (once they are laying), followed by 3 - 6 weeks of fermented feed. Then, switch back to regular feed. Do a photographic comparison of egg yolk color, and egg size for each time frame. This would be best done during the months when they do not have access to forage from your yard.

Unfortunately I have already placed my order, but if I lose any babies in transit I will be picking up a little EE. When it comes to designing my coop, will those 4.s.f. account for the run as well? I am planning to build a nicely sized coop and a large run as that will be where they're spending most of their time unless I am able to watch them in the yard. Still have some brainstorming to do there! Also, great suggestion with varying feed types. I am open to any other data gathering suggestions that others may have. I am in a suburban area where chickens are extremely uncommon if not existent (as far as I know), so purely having chickens and showing that they can be good pets is something unheard of at my school!

Again, appreciate all the help from everyone. Can't wait to see what happens in these next couple of months.

 

[lazy gardener]

4 s.f. floor space/ bird in the coop. 10 s.f. in the run per bird. As for coop design: Lots of natural lighting, cover all openings larger than the diameter of a quarter. Chicken wire will keep birds in but will not keep predators out. Increased height will allow: nest boxes to be below height of roosts. 2' minimum between roost and floor for deep litter, 15 - 18" above roost to allow ventilation without birds roosting in a draft. Lots of ventilation, even in winter. Perches should be wide so birds feet well supported and their feathers cover the toes while perching.

 

[GabeBlue]

4 s.f. floor space/ bird in the coop. 10 s.f. in the run per bird. As for coop design: Lots of natural lighting, cover all openings larger than the diameter of a quarter. Chicken wire will keep birds in but will not keep predators out. Increased height will allow: nest boxes to be below height of roosts. 2' minimum between roost and floor for deep litter, 15 - 18" above roost to allow ventilation without birds roosting in a draft. Lots of ventilation, even in winter. Perches should be wide so birds feet well supported and their feathers cover the toes while perching.

Thanks for all the great info! I am taking some inspiration from other members who have posted their completed coops, and hope to have a design ready soon. Ideally will start working on it within the next two or three weeks

 

[GabeBlue]

Alright everyone... need a bit of help again with the coop. I have searched around the forums and I have found inspiration but I do not think that designing a safe coop by myself will be feasible. However, of the many coops on here that I've found and liked, the plans to build them seem far too inconsistent if they are even present at all. I hate to be a both but if anyone has recommendations for a good coop for my four hens, I have a 6'x10' area available (and possibly, but unlikely, more). I need something somewhat comprehensive in how it was built so that I can follow along. This includes the possibility of pre-built sets.

Again, sorry if it's an inconvenience but I am just trying to work this out as I go. Thankfully, I have a good amount of time to continue searching before my chicks will be large enough to go outside.

 

[Mrs. K]

I just recently built this coop. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-clutch-hutch-chicken-coop. I have been very happy with it. It has great ventilation. Mine is a 4 x 8, 6 feet high on the tall side.

I prefer a coop that you can walk into. It is easier to clean, to work with birds, to get eggs and it has more room in bad weather.

It can be pricey to build a coop, but often times, if you watch the local for sale pages, you con often times get an older shed. A little paint does wonders. More than likely you would need to add ventilation, but those are easy fixes, compared to building something from scratch.

Do not get sucked into buying those very cute little coops. Chicks are so little it is easy to believe that those coops could work. That and very often they state that they are big enough for several birds. Full size chickens take a lot of space.

Mrs. K

 

[GabeBlue]

@Mrs. K awesome! There is something about building the coop myself that I am still lured to. Maybe building it like a shed is my best solution after all. Like you said, I have noticed extremely small coops being listed as being for 4-6 chickens, which is why I wanted to come to everyone here to find out what I should really be looking for! Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[aart]

@Mrs. K awesome! There is something about building the coop myself that I am still lured to. Maybe building it like a shed is my best solution after all. Like you said, I have noticed extremely small coops being listed as being for 4-6 chickens, which is why I wanted to come to everyone here to find out what I should really be looking for! Thanks for the suggestion.

Most probably....more likely to find decent step by step instructions online somewhere for a simple shed than a coop.
Or buy a shed and add roosts, nest, etc.
Go for larger roof overhangs than on a typical shed, really helps with keeping the weather out of your ventilation and windows.

6x10 would be a good size, don't go narrower than 6' of you'll have trouble fitting stuff inside.
8x8 would be better as far as material application, can reduce lumber waste significantly.

Keep in mind, construction may take way longer than you think, unless you can build faster than the chicks grow.
You might end up needing a bigger brooder, or buy one of those tiny prefabs to use while you finish building the coop.
The prefabs can be used as in isolation/integration/broody coop down the line if you keep it out of the weather.

 

[lazy gardener]

Alright everyone... need a bit of help again with the coop. I have searched around the forums and I have found inspiration but I do not think that designing a safe coop by myself will be feasible. However, of the many coops on here that I've found and liked, the plans to build them seem far too inconsistent if they are even present at all. I hate to be a both but if anyone has recommendations for a good coop for my four hens, I have a 6'x10' area available (and possibly, but unlikely, more). I need something somewhat comprehensive in how it was built so that I can follow along. This includes the possibility of pre-built sets.

Again, sorry if it's an inconvenience but I am just trying to work this out as I go. Thankfully, I have a good amount of time to continue searching before my chicks will be large enough to go outside.

I just recently built this coop. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-clutch-hutch-chicken-coop. I have been very happy with it. It has great ventilation. Mine is a 4 x 8, 6 feet high on the tall side.

I prefer a coop that you can walk into. It is easier to clean, to work with birds, to get eggs and it has more room in bad weather.

It can be pricey to build a coop, but often times, if you watch the local for sale pages, you con often times get an older shed. A little paint does wonders. More than likely you would need to add ventilation, but those are easy fixes, compared to building something from scratch.

Do not get sucked into buying those very cute little coops. Chicks are so little it is easy to believe that those coops could work. That and very often they state that they are big enough for several birds. Full size chickens take a lot of space.

Mrs. K

All, very good advice. good build, Mrs K!

@Mrs. K awesome! There is something about building the coop myself that I am still lured to. Maybe building it like a shed is my best solution after all. Like you said, I have noticed extremely small coops being listed as being for 4-6 chickens, which is why I wanted to come to everyone here to find out what I should really be looking for! Thanks for the suggestion.

Shed construction is going to be by far the easiest construction method, unless you put up a cattle panel coop.

Quote: Excellent points by aart as well.

I picked this book up at my local dump recycle area. It's got some awesome plans and construction details: http://www.biblio.com/book/sheds-ga...TYz0xCbxLgr_eGBiZ1E-XscIy5Dy9zpwHcaAl6f8P8HAQ

Do you have access to power tools? Friends who could come and help you in exchange for a pizza party? Any one you know who has just a little bit more building experience than you do?

Low cost building materials: Habitat for Humanity Re-store. Spring clean up, you will often see plenty of awesome building materials on the side of the road, just begging to be recycled. Every spring, i could get enough doors and windows to build a green house. Call a few local building contractors, especially the ones that do small remodeling jobs! Order all of your hardware cloth on line. Huge savings with that. You can make a chicken tractor with hardware cloth and 2 x 2 construction. That will boost your confidence, and give them a great brooder while buying you extra time to get that coop built. I built a 3 x 6, and it has been extremely valuable in my flock management.

I'm a 60+ year old biddy, and in the last few years have built a hoop coop, hoop green house, 2 tractors on my own, and helped hubby build a 10 x 12 coop. If you have access to power tools, it's amazing what you can accomplish. Oh yeah, clamps and ratchet straps are incredibly useful when working alone!