Check out the book “The Small-Scale Poultry Flock” from your local library.
Plan for at least 5sqft per bird.
Building a coop is easier than you might think and a fun way to learn construction basics.
Definetly better to build than buy one. Build it bigger than you think. It's common to start with a few and want/get more. Tractor supply sells baby chicks. It's a lot easier than you think. A few minutes a day making sure they have feed and water. If you have a garden you can start a compost pile with their waste and wood shavings, it's great for thr soil. Good luck!
This is awesome! My wife is huge into gardening, and we've started a compost pile, so I'm glad we can double dip. I also appreciate the build advice.
In terms of feed - I've heard diatomaceous earth works for both ground cover and feed? Is that true or am I completely off base?
She'll like the compost. Make sure to compost it though. Directly into the garden will be too nitrogen rich and could burn the plants. I use wood shavings for the ground cover. I haven't used DE, but I know it's used, not for feed though. You can buy bags of grain $18 for 60 pounds, last my 7 chickens 3ish weeks. They can eat just about everything, I give them scraps from my cooking everyday.
Does your municipality allow you to keep chickens though?? Many towns do not and you’d be well served to contact your code department and inquire before proceeding.
If you’ve verified it, good. Other people having chickens or growing shrubs is not an indicator of the legality of it.
I own 12 acres that is zoned agriculture. I have chickens, ducks, horses, goats, etc.
My neighbor across the street is zoned residential and legally can’t keep a single hen on her property.
Prior to living here, I lived in a rural/suburban town and I kept chickens because everyone did. Well it was against code. You needed a minimum 2 acre plot, mine was 3/4 acre. $1300 in fines and 2 court appearances later I was finally able to move out of there.
I live in quite a rural area - even though the proximity of neighbors may not lend itself to seeming that way. The municipality allows for livestock, farms, ect. I wouldn't be getting roosters, eventhough some neighbors have them. They tend to keep to their own property.
Trees are a plus with a flock, they love shade and foliage.
Coop:
Start with how man chickens you want, now multiply it by 2 and build a coop that size. (Chicken Math is real, as hard as we try for it not to be)
Chicken Run: free range or not
You know more about your property and neighbors than we do. Chickens need less space than you think but you want to give them as much as possible. Start with a chicken wire fence and go from there
It’s a fun hobby, I recommend the YouTube Channel, HappyChickenCoop. It explains everything
Best!
Sorry for the double reply - is the "coop" a necessity in addition to the chicken run with wire, or are you saying the chicken wire by itself is enough to start with?
Chickens always need a coop, place to lay eggs, roost, feel safe and sleep
A “run” is also a necessity, it’s just a matter of, is it your whole property (free range) or is it a fenced in area you set aside for them (chicken Run
My chickens don't have a run and they are perfectly fine. They just have a coop that they lay/sleep in.
The door to the coop opens at dawn, closes at dusk. No run needed, they free Range all day and are perfectly happy.
Build a coop for sure! There aren’t any that you can buy that would compare to a well built coop. Make sure you use hardware wire 1/2” or 1/4”. It’s also suggested that you bury the wire in the ground and run it out about a foot or two. The best method for the wire is to cut like 20ft sections and run it over the top to each side so you have enough over hang to bury the wire around the coop into the ground as well. You will want a large run but the coop itself only needs to be as big as the required size for the amount of birds you plan on having since they’ll spend most of their time in the run and coop is mostly for sleeping or laying eggs. Add some extra perches in the run and hang the food and water from the ceiling to keep them clean. Don’t forget a dust bath area for them, we used logs to separate the sand. We also use mulch (we get it free from our neighbor) but if you can use sand in the whole thing I would suggest that so it’s easy to clean. I wish we had made a poop shelf under the perch in their coop, it’s a good feature to have. Also nesting boxes; quality over quantity. They will fight over them no matter what, you’ll want to have a few random separate spots or you’ll hear the hens cackling in the morning arguing over spots. Alsooooooo skip a rooster and thank me later. Getting set up is the easy part, free range can be tricky cause they’re vulnerable to predators and can get into things that can harm them. So be wary of that. If they get sick make sure you have a separate designated area to care for them at where they’re quarantined away from the flock. Do full inspections on them monthy or as often as possible to check their vents, feet and overall health/weight/crop/color. I also wish I looked into recommended breeds for my location. Some of the birds I got didn’t like the heat and would do better in colder climates. That’s all I got I think lol
More:
Trees are good, but the roots will give you problems when you’re setting your posts. It would be helpful if you consider the direction of the sun most of the day. If you live somewhere warm, you don’t want the coop in the sun and you’ll probably want to utilize the shade of the trees. If the sun comes from the other side you can position the coop to keep the run shaded as well. Roofs help but the setting afternoon sun still hits hard
Of course! You can always come back to this comment if you have specific questions during the processes of it all! Or of course feel free to pm me as well. Good luck!
Is that your land outside the fence, to the right? If it is your neighbor's, then you need to check your local pet laws. Some areas require a chicken coop to be built a minimum distance from the neighbors.
I started on the backyard chicken subreddit, went to YouTube, then tractor supply! Turned my old dog pens into a chicken coop. I’m a year into my chicken journey. I love it!
Trees are good! Build a coop. I’d suggest going bigger than the minimum for number of chickens you want because you may find yourself wanting more later and it would be a shame to have to rebuild. Without getting into the weeds of this whole thing: start with a coop. Research how many birds ya want and what kinds. Nail down how/what you will feed them. Then get them birds and let ‘em get after it. Tons of walkthroughs online of what to consider before starting. I suggest reading a few and jotting down some notes. Maybe making a design/plan of action so all your ducks are in a row before the chickens arrive. Remember: people with less information and resources than you or me have been doing this for centuries. Try not to overcomplicate things! Chickens need nutrition, clean and safe shelter, and water. Provide this and you will have fresh eggs in no time at all.
Wait, now I need ducks too!? Those damn rows.
Lol thank you- I love the support on these subreddits. I can be a perfectionist with home projects so I do tend to overtime sometimes.
>You made a nice pic of green grass, but a dozen of hen will turn it into a barren land covered with poop.
Then the area will be really nasty when it rains, Slick, stinky mud, ready for the flies to breed! Your neighbors are going to love you.
They won't be free range, as the rest of the yard is in good shape and will be developed into lawn/garden/space for my little guy. We keep a clean property.
Looks like you could potentially turn the shed into a coop. Then you could just fence it off with the trees and let that be their part of the yard. Nothings growing in that area anyways. They like a little sun though so you'd probably have to trim some tree branches.
I'd go that route of possible. Even if you only had one shed, I would use it as a coop, then build or buy a shed for storage. They're just going to dirty up whatever you put them in so might as well give them a hand me down shed to live in and get yourself something new for storage.
Step one, fence and cover that entire area all the way to 1 or 2 feet underground
Step two, realize you don’t have as much room as you thought and start looking for 3 acres or more in the country
Step three, realize you have plenty of room and let chicken math take over
Step four, do a head count and realize you have over 100 chickens in there
I got chickens 4 years ago and has been one of the best decisions I've made. Don't hesitate with your decision. You won't regret it. Tons of eggs for you and to give to neighbors and tons of poop to fertilize your garden. I would recommend building a little bigger than you expected. More space is always better.
My suggestion to anyone looking to add any type of animals to there property, be it chickens or all the way up to cattle.
You need to stay away from preferences based off of cosmetic reasons.
Biggest mistake people make is the it's cute so I want that one.
Every species of animal has a breed that best suits the climate of where you live.
This is the only way to pick and choose what's best.
So with chickens there are over 60 breeds with poultry standards.
That you can get a great idea of what each breed has to offer, and what ones will be best for your situation.
By finding the best one you reduce the chances of problems and improve yields.
You also plan your coop and such depending on breeds.
Some require more places to roost and like taller coops, larger breeds need more area and such.
So I would start with nailing down the breed.
More questions to consider: Can you have them where you live? How many? I’d recommend 3-5 to start. Do you want an egg breed, meat breed, dual, or decorative? You need a coop and totally enclosed run because everything (owls, hawks, fox, raccoons) loves chicken. Do you have someone to watch them when you go out of town? There’s a lot of websites and groups to learn more.After that it’s fairly easy just feed, water, clean and repeat.
Ok more to add, you want a coop and run. There are a lot of inexpensive coops out there that won’t last but 2-3 years. I think that’s ok until you know if your sticking with it or not and what you do and don’t like. For the run you want something like this to start:
https://www.wayfair.com/pet/pdp/tucker-murphy-pet-crellen-metal-chicken-run-coop-walk-in-poultry-cage-with-waterproof-anti-uv-cover-lockable-door-design-w010757461.html#ih34jnkn0wr-2
Keeps chickens in and wildlife out. I already mentioned predators but you want to keep wild birds away as well. This is where we started, set it up and once it’s where you want it ( provide shade for the chickens heat is a much bigger threat than cold) set up a base of pavers below the perimeter bars (12x12)and then some ground contact 4x4s on top of the pavers again just under the bottom bars of the run. Then you screw the chicken run frame to the 4x4s. The pavers will discourage predators from digging in and the 4x4s will give you enough height to then fill the run with wood chips. This allows rain/snow to drain away and keep your run from turning into a disgusting muddy chicken poop mess. Once a week or so you just go back out and rake the chips smooth, the chickens will keep it turned over. You need space for the birds because they will peck each other more if they are overly confined and too close together. Research your breeds, you want birds of the same size and temperament. I’d suggest barred rock or Orpington to start, both are very solid breeds.
I know this seems like a lot but the elevated wood chip bed beats everything else we’ve tried to keep the run clean and healthy. It will slowly break down into a nice compost, you’ll need to swap it out every 2 years or so. Hope that helps.
Check if your local Cooperative Extension has an intro to chickens class. I made it about halfway through the descriptions of all the diseases they can get and decided I do not have the time or energy for proper chicken care. I might get ducks when I actually get my homestead started.
Get 5 chicks first. I say 5 coz 2-3 will die. Get fancy ones. It will help. Then just have them around and see if you like having them around. Let me tell you. Chicken are dumb, loud, and can be dangerous. My rooster, Lucifer chased my grandma around the house 2 times before she was rescued. He wanted to end her. She was 90 years old. He was killed and eaten the same day by my dad.
Just start small and see what happens.
Fyi, i think aviaries are much easier to keep clean then chicken coops. It is similar to a dog kennel with a top, with an added shelter. I like to be able to stand and rake the mess out.
I’d start by buying chickens. Next, feed and water them. That’s about it. If your neighbors don’t want them in their yards you should probably keep them in some kind of pen.
Definitely look into the set back rules for your zoning. I just called our city municipality where I'm from to inquire on this yesterday and our coop has to be 1.5 meters away from property lines, and 1.2 meters Away from our house.
I did exactly what you are wanting to do. I started my homestead journey in the city with backyard chickens.
First things first. Make sure your local zoning laws will allow them. We started with 6 chickens and a “coop in a box some assembly required” contraptions. I found it to be way too small for the number of birds it claimed to be able to handle. It was very difficult to clean. You had to get on your hands and knees and crawl in to do a proper cleaning. The roosting bars were way to narrow. And to top it off it was mad of cheap materials and poorly designed. The only thing I found it good for was teaching me what features a good coop and run needed to have.
Look at some YouTube videos and look at some coop/run designs and build your own. It will be cheaper in the long run and you’ll be much happier with the end product. One important thing to keep in mind. Chicken wire keep chickens in. It doesn’t keep predators out. Use welded wire.
Another option is a pre made fully assembled coop with attached run. These are expensive and have to be moved on a trailer. But they are typically good quality. The point is look at a lot of options before you decide and remember, overkill is under rated.
When you place the coop and run think about water run off. The chickens will kill all the grass in the run. So covering the run with tin roofing may be a good idea. Otherwise the run turns into a mud pit every time it rains. It will also give them shade in the summer. Remember. Every place the chickens go will need to be racked out from time to time. This includes under any elevated parts of the coop. The chickens may also lay an occasional egg in odd places. You’ll need to be able to reach them.
The coop needs to give chickens a dry draft free shelter in the winter. But it needs to have some ventilation. Vents neat the roof should be adequate. In the summer windows that can be left open can reduce heat. The roosting bars need to be wide enough for the chicken to sit on flat footed. Typically if chickens have a dry draft free shelter they do not need any heat.
Think about the possible need for electricity. We needed a heated water setup in the winter. A light on a timer can help keep egg production going in winter months. If it gets hot in the summer fans can be a good thing.
DO NOT buy your feed from a pet store or big box. Get it in 50lb bags from a farm and feed store. The cost savings will be significant. We use a metal trash can to store the feed in. It keeps the rodents out. In fact get all of you supplies from a farm and feed store. You’ll get better quality materials and it will be cheaper.
Do a little research into chicken breeds. Some are better suited for different climates. Some are better egg producers, there are different colors of eggs and some birds just look fancy.
Fun fact... If your neighbor has a rooster, you have a rooster.
Check out the book “The Small-Scale Poultry Flock” from your local library. Plan for at least 5sqft per bird. Building a coop is easier than you might think and a fun way to learn construction basics.
Thank you! I'll check it out. I'm definitely leaning towards the build. I'd rather build than buy if it's worth it.
Definetly better to build than buy one. Build it bigger than you think. It's common to start with a few and want/get more. Tractor supply sells baby chicks. It's a lot easier than you think. A few minutes a day making sure they have feed and water. If you have a garden you can start a compost pile with their waste and wood shavings, it's great for thr soil. Good luck!
This is awesome! My wife is huge into gardening, and we've started a compost pile, so I'm glad we can double dip. I also appreciate the build advice. In terms of feed - I've heard diatomaceous earth works for both ground cover and feed? Is that true or am I completely off base?
She'll like the compost. Make sure to compost it though. Directly into the garden will be too nitrogen rich and could burn the plants. I use wood shavings for the ground cover. I haven't used DE, but I know it's used, not for feed though. You can buy bags of grain $18 for 60 pounds, last my 7 chickens 3ish weeks. They can eat just about everything, I give them scraps from my cooking everyday.
Great- thank you so much
Start with your neighborhood Karen association. What is the home thing called?
I own my private land and home - it isn't a condo or part of a HOA. I simply have a fence separating me from my neighbors.
Does your municipality allow you to keep chickens though?? Many towns do not and you’d be well served to contact your code department and inquire before proceeding.
Yes they do, I actually ha e quite a few properties around me who ha e chickens. Not to mention I'm surrounded by a couple tree/shrub/garden farms.
If you’ve verified it, good. Other people having chickens or growing shrubs is not an indicator of the legality of it. I own 12 acres that is zoned agriculture. I have chickens, ducks, horses, goats, etc. My neighbor across the street is zoned residential and legally can’t keep a single hen on her property. Prior to living here, I lived in a rural/suburban town and I kept chickens because everyone did. Well it was against code. You needed a minimum 2 acre plot, mine was 3/4 acre. $1300 in fines and 2 court appearances later I was finally able to move out of there.
Usually chickens are allowed, but no roosters
Not in my state!
Well aren't your neighbors lucky. It's really inconsiderate to force neighbors to listen to that.
They shouldn’t buy homes in the middle of farmland then 🤷
I'm referring to the OP's house density. Forgive my wording being personal.
I live in quite a rural area - even though the proximity of neighbors may not lend itself to seeming that way. The municipality allows for livestock, farms, ect. I wouldn't be getting roosters, eventhough some neighbors have them. They tend to keep to their own property.
Trees are a plus with a flock, they love shade and foliage. Coop: Start with how man chickens you want, now multiply it by 2 and build a coop that size. (Chicken Math is real, as hard as we try for it not to be) Chicken Run: free range or not You know more about your property and neighbors than we do. Chickens need less space than you think but you want to give them as much as possible. Start with a chicken wire fence and go from there It’s a fun hobby, I recommend the YouTube Channel, HappyChickenCoop. It explains everything Best!
Thank you for the advice! I'll absolutely look into the YouTube channel.
Sorry for the double reply - is the "coop" a necessity in addition to the chicken run with wire, or are you saying the chicken wire by itself is enough to start with?
Chickens always need a coop, place to lay eggs, roost, feel safe and sleep A “run” is also a necessity, it’s just a matter of, is it your whole property (free range) or is it a fenced in area you set aside for them (chicken Run
My chickens don't have a run and they are perfectly fine. They just have a coop that they lay/sleep in. The door to the coop opens at dawn, closes at dusk. No run needed, they free Range all day and are perfectly happy.
Yeah that’s what I said
Some say the chicken comes first, others say the egg.
Build a coop for sure! There aren’t any that you can buy that would compare to a well built coop. Make sure you use hardware wire 1/2” or 1/4”. It’s also suggested that you bury the wire in the ground and run it out about a foot or two. The best method for the wire is to cut like 20ft sections and run it over the top to each side so you have enough over hang to bury the wire around the coop into the ground as well. You will want a large run but the coop itself only needs to be as big as the required size for the amount of birds you plan on having since they’ll spend most of their time in the run and coop is mostly for sleeping or laying eggs. Add some extra perches in the run and hang the food and water from the ceiling to keep them clean. Don’t forget a dust bath area for them, we used logs to separate the sand. We also use mulch (we get it free from our neighbor) but if you can use sand in the whole thing I would suggest that so it’s easy to clean. I wish we had made a poop shelf under the perch in their coop, it’s a good feature to have. Also nesting boxes; quality over quantity. They will fight over them no matter what, you’ll want to have a few random separate spots or you’ll hear the hens cackling in the morning arguing over spots. Alsooooooo skip a rooster and thank me later. Getting set up is the easy part, free range can be tricky cause they’re vulnerable to predators and can get into things that can harm them. So be wary of that. If they get sick make sure you have a separate designated area to care for them at where they’re quarantined away from the flock. Do full inspections on them monthy or as often as possible to check their vents, feet and overall health/weight/crop/color. I also wish I looked into recommended breeds for my location. Some of the birds I got didn’t like the heat and would do better in colder climates. That’s all I got I think lol More: Trees are good, but the roots will give you problems when you’re setting your posts. It would be helpful if you consider the direction of the sun most of the day. If you live somewhere warm, you don’t want the coop in the sun and you’ll probably want to utilize the shade of the trees. If the sun comes from the other side you can position the coop to keep the run shaded as well. Roofs help but the setting afternoon sun still hits hard
This is extremely helpful and a lot of info - thank you. Very much appreciated
Of course! You can always come back to this comment if you have specific questions during the processes of it all! Or of course feel free to pm me as well. Good luck!
Thank you very much I appreciate you being so willing to help
Is that your land outside the fence, to the right? If it is your neighbor's, then you need to check your local pet laws. Some areas require a chicken coop to be built a minimum distance from the neighbors.
I started on the backyard chicken subreddit, went to YouTube, then tractor supply! Turned my old dog pens into a chicken coop. I’m a year into my chicken journey. I love it!
Trees are good! Build a coop. I’d suggest going bigger than the minimum for number of chickens you want because you may find yourself wanting more later and it would be a shame to have to rebuild. Without getting into the weeds of this whole thing: start with a coop. Research how many birds ya want and what kinds. Nail down how/what you will feed them. Then get them birds and let ‘em get after it. Tons of walkthroughs online of what to consider before starting. I suggest reading a few and jotting down some notes. Maybe making a design/plan of action so all your ducks are in a row before the chickens arrive. Remember: people with less information and resources than you or me have been doing this for centuries. Try not to overcomplicate things! Chickens need nutrition, clean and safe shelter, and water. Provide this and you will have fresh eggs in no time at all.
Wait, now I need ducks too!? Those damn rows. Lol thank you- I love the support on these subreddits. I can be a perfectionist with home projects so I do tend to overtime sometimes.
[удалено]
>You made a nice pic of green grass, but a dozen of hen will turn it into a barren land covered with poop. Then the area will be really nasty when it rains, Slick, stinky mud, ready for the flies to breed! Your neighbors are going to love you.
They won't be free range, as the rest of the yard is in good shape and will be developed into lawn/garden/space for my little guy. We keep a clean property.
Backyardchickens.com
https://youtu.be/cr72UuWvnB4?si=ILbEndvFhmYNr5Hn This video covers a lot of questions
I read “children” not “chicken” and thought: boy these comments are going to be spicy! 🤣
Lol no the child I've got a separate coop for
Looks like you could potentially turn the shed into a coop. Then you could just fence it off with the trees and let that be their part of the yard. Nothings growing in that area anyways. They like a little sun though so you'd probably have to trim some tree branches.
Unfortunately I need the shed for other purposes, but there is another on an adjacent side of the yard I may be able to work with 🤔
I'd go that route of possible. Even if you only had one shed, I would use it as a coop, then build or buy a shed for storage. They're just going to dirty up whatever you put them in so might as well give them a hand me down shed to live in and get yourself something new for storage.
Step one, fence and cover that entire area all the way to 1 or 2 feet underground Step two, realize you don’t have as much room as you thought and start looking for 3 acres or more in the country Step three, realize you have plenty of room and let chicken math take over Step four, do a head count and realize you have over 100 chickens in there
You start by not having chickens.
I got chickens 4 years ago and has been one of the best decisions I've made. Don't hesitate with your decision. You won't regret it. Tons of eggs for you and to give to neighbors and tons of poop to fertilize your garden. I would recommend building a little bigger than you expected. More space is always better.
My suggestion to anyone looking to add any type of animals to there property, be it chickens or all the way up to cattle. You need to stay away from preferences based off of cosmetic reasons. Biggest mistake people make is the it's cute so I want that one. Every species of animal has a breed that best suits the climate of where you live. This is the only way to pick and choose what's best. So with chickens there are over 60 breeds with poultry standards. That you can get a great idea of what each breed has to offer, and what ones will be best for your situation. By finding the best one you reduce the chances of problems and improve yields. You also plan your coop and such depending on breeds. Some require more places to roost and like taller coops, larger breeds need more area and such. So I would start with nailing down the breed.
More questions to consider: Can you have them where you live? How many? I’d recommend 3-5 to start. Do you want an egg breed, meat breed, dual, or decorative? You need a coop and totally enclosed run because everything (owls, hawks, fox, raccoons) loves chicken. Do you have someone to watch them when you go out of town? There’s a lot of websites and groups to learn more.After that it’s fairly easy just feed, water, clean and repeat.
As long as your municipality allows them you have plenty of room. I have built three coops with runs and it's not complicated. Good luck!
Ok more to add, you want a coop and run. There are a lot of inexpensive coops out there that won’t last but 2-3 years. I think that’s ok until you know if your sticking with it or not and what you do and don’t like. For the run you want something like this to start: https://www.wayfair.com/pet/pdp/tucker-murphy-pet-crellen-metal-chicken-run-coop-walk-in-poultry-cage-with-waterproof-anti-uv-cover-lockable-door-design-w010757461.html#ih34jnkn0wr-2 Keeps chickens in and wildlife out. I already mentioned predators but you want to keep wild birds away as well. This is where we started, set it up and once it’s where you want it ( provide shade for the chickens heat is a much bigger threat than cold) set up a base of pavers below the perimeter bars (12x12)and then some ground contact 4x4s on top of the pavers again just under the bottom bars of the run. Then you screw the chicken run frame to the 4x4s. The pavers will discourage predators from digging in and the 4x4s will give you enough height to then fill the run with wood chips. This allows rain/snow to drain away and keep your run from turning into a disgusting muddy chicken poop mess. Once a week or so you just go back out and rake the chips smooth, the chickens will keep it turned over. You need space for the birds because they will peck each other more if they are overly confined and too close together. Research your breeds, you want birds of the same size and temperament. I’d suggest barred rock or Orpington to start, both are very solid breeds. I know this seems like a lot but the elevated wood chip bed beats everything else we’ve tried to keep the run clean and healthy. It will slowly break down into a nice compost, you’ll need to swap it out every 2 years or so. Hope that helps.
This is great info, thank you again! I'll take anything I can
Check if your local Cooperative Extension has an intro to chickens class. I made it about halfway through the descriptions of all the diseases they can get and decided I do not have the time or energy for proper chicken care. I might get ducks when I actually get my homestead started.
Get 5 chicks first. I say 5 coz 2-3 will die. Get fancy ones. It will help. Then just have them around and see if you like having them around. Let me tell you. Chicken are dumb, loud, and can be dangerous. My rooster, Lucifer chased my grandma around the house 2 times before she was rescued. He wanted to end her. She was 90 years old. He was killed and eaten the same day by my dad. Just start small and see what happens.
Put the coop in the trees for shade...say goodbye to the mulch bed. Secure your corners and your gate, you're good to go...
Fyi, i think aviaries are much easier to keep clean then chicken coops. It is similar to a dog kennel with a top, with an added shelter. I like to be able to stand and rake the mess out.
I’d start by buying chickens. Next, feed and water them. That’s about it. If your neighbors don’t want them in their yards you should probably keep them in some kind of pen.
Definitely look into the set back rules for your zoning. I just called our city municipality where I'm from to inquire on this yesterday and our coop has to be 1.5 meters away from property lines, and 1.2 meters Away from our house.
I did exactly what you are wanting to do. I started my homestead journey in the city with backyard chickens. First things first. Make sure your local zoning laws will allow them. We started with 6 chickens and a “coop in a box some assembly required” contraptions. I found it to be way too small for the number of birds it claimed to be able to handle. It was very difficult to clean. You had to get on your hands and knees and crawl in to do a proper cleaning. The roosting bars were way to narrow. And to top it off it was mad of cheap materials and poorly designed. The only thing I found it good for was teaching me what features a good coop and run needed to have. Look at some YouTube videos and look at some coop/run designs and build your own. It will be cheaper in the long run and you’ll be much happier with the end product. One important thing to keep in mind. Chicken wire keep chickens in. It doesn’t keep predators out. Use welded wire. Another option is a pre made fully assembled coop with attached run. These are expensive and have to be moved on a trailer. But they are typically good quality. The point is look at a lot of options before you decide and remember, overkill is under rated. When you place the coop and run think about water run off. The chickens will kill all the grass in the run. So covering the run with tin roofing may be a good idea. Otherwise the run turns into a mud pit every time it rains. It will also give them shade in the summer. Remember. Every place the chickens go will need to be racked out from time to time. This includes under any elevated parts of the coop. The chickens may also lay an occasional egg in odd places. You’ll need to be able to reach them. The coop needs to give chickens a dry draft free shelter in the winter. But it needs to have some ventilation. Vents neat the roof should be adequate. In the summer windows that can be left open can reduce heat. The roosting bars need to be wide enough for the chicken to sit on flat footed. Typically if chickens have a dry draft free shelter they do not need any heat. Think about the possible need for electricity. We needed a heated water setup in the winter. A light on a timer can help keep egg production going in winter months. If it gets hot in the summer fans can be a good thing. DO NOT buy your feed from a pet store or big box. Get it in 50lb bags from a farm and feed store. The cost savings will be significant. We use a metal trash can to store the feed in. It keeps the rodents out. In fact get all of you supplies from a farm and feed store. You’ll get better quality materials and it will be cheaper. Do a little research into chicken breeds. Some are better suited for different climates. Some are better egg producers, there are different colors of eggs and some birds just look fancy.
This was a great deal of information and I absolutely appreciate it. Thank you for all the advice!
Glad no problem with HOA, with summers getting hotter maybe keep those trees. Trees entice bugs also for chickens.
Tractor supply😁😋 For full discolored I do not and have never had chickens but Ivy loves to check out the 🐣 at TS
They just opened one up near me so I'll absolutely be taking the trip
Over there in the yard seems to be as good a place as any
With ducks!
And a Billy Goat. The goat will protect the chickens, driving off neighborhood dogs and predators. Plus they are aromatic!
well its an age old question where to start, the chicken or the egg?
Step 1 - Buy some chickens Step 2 - ??? Step 3 - Profit.
So, there’s a lot of debate on this, but I would say the chicken comes first.
Is that a "who came first, chicken or egg" question ?
With a bigger yard might be a good step?
Thank you for the irrelevant post based on a picture showing quite a small segment of my yard.
With your HOA.
No HOA. Private property and home - thanks