Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Any of you guys have chickens?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Any of you guys have chickens?

    Wife and kids begged me once they found out we could have a coop in the city limits, so, we are building a chicken coop. I am curious if anyone on here(international or usa, whatever) have chickens?


    I am looking for some insight/feedback on a few things, and I really don't want to join some chicken forum to ask questions. Anyone with experience out there?



    Stuff I have questions about;


    -Do certain breeds fight/get along better?

    -What kind of temps are ideal for the coop with grown chickens when its cold out? Is this specific to breed, and if so, info on that? What about a relative humidity/desired humidity? Ways to reduce when ventilation is adequate? I live in a humid part of the country, so I am curious how to help with this when the atmosphere is 100% humidity.

    -What climate you live in, and do you insulate? If so, hows about a vapor barrier? Ceiling insulated, or open rafters when you look up inside the coop?

    -Whats a realistic size run estimate? Like, how many sq ft per bird is actually ideal?

    -What random shit have you run into?

    -Predator prevention tactics?

    -How long are your eggs good for when produced at home?


    I feel pretty educated on these subjects, but have literally 0 first hand experience, and you guys know the interwebz. Some people suggest 10 sq.ft per bird in the coop. That seems crazy to me. Others suggest 2 sq ft. Some people say 4 per bird = free range status. What actually works is what I want to know.

    I have been reading feverishly to try and learn as much as I can, but I realize some of this stuff comes with experience. I am looking for help in that dpt. I also have come to the conclusion that its easy to spend a fortune, and easy to be a cheap ass, but getting it all right requires something right in the middle.


    Any help would/will be appreciated.

    thanks!!!
    Originally posted by wed3k
    im a douchebag to people and i don't even own a lambo. whats your point? we, douchbags, come in all sorts of shapes and colours.

    #2
    Originally posted by toycar View Post
    Wife and kids begged me once they found out we could have a coop in the city limits, so, we are building a chicken coop. I am curious if anyone on here(international or usa, whatever) have chickens?


    I am looking for some insight/feedback on a few things, and I really don't want to join some chicken forum to ask questions. Anyone with experience out there?



    Stuff I have questions about;


    -Do certain breeds fight/get along better?

    I have California Greys and Browns together with the rooster being the Grey. The only violence that happens is when he is defending the hens against everything and the hens peck at his as and tear his ass feathers out. But the egg layers are all good.

    -What kind of temps are ideal for the coop with grown chickens when its cold out? Is this specific to breed, and if so, info on that? What about a relative humidity/desired humidity? Ways to reduce when ventilation is adequate? I live in a humid part of the country, so I am curious how to help with this when the atmosphere is 100% humidity.

    The coop is probably 4'x4'. There is a wide ladder inside that they perch on and it's enough to keep them happy and producing well.

    -What climate you live in, and do you insulate? If so, hows about a vapor barrier? Ceiling insulated, or open rafters when you look up inside the coop?

    North Idaho, all 4 seasons. A heat lamp seems to be enough in the cold weather to keep them happy. They run around in the snow. There is a basically a dog door they go through in and out.

    -Whats a realistic size run estimate? Like, how many sq ft per bird is actually ideal?

    16 chickens run around in an 8'x30', plenty of room.

    -What random shit have you run into?

    -Predator prevention tactics?

    It's up in the mountains and haven't had any predator issues. 6ft wire fence keeps them in and predators out.

    -How long are your eggs good for when produced at home?

    Haven't had any bad ones yet.

    I feel pretty educated on these subjects, but have literally 0 first hand experience, and you guys know the interwebz. Some people suggest 10 sq.ft per bird in the coop. That seems crazy to me. Others suggest 2 sq ft. Some people say 4 per bird = free range status. What actually works is what I want to know.

    I have been reading feverishly to try and learn as much as I can, but I realize some of this stuff comes with experience. I am looking for help in that dpt. I also have come to the conclusion that its easy to spend a fortune, and easy to be a cheap ass, but getting it all right requires something right in the middle.


    Any help would/will be appreciated.

    thanks!!!
    Answers above
    '93 H22A 5SPD SE - MRT - DIY-Turbo Sizing

    Comment


      #3
      Fence didn't help my neighbor's chicken. Local red tail got it, then was so full of chicken he wouldn't fly off my deck railing until someone got within a few feet of him.
      Last edited by Fleetw00d; 03-20-2014, 12:02 AM.
      90 LX 4dr 5 spd 396,014 (sold 1/1/2022) - MRT: http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=201450
      08 Element LX FWD AT 229,000 - MRT: fleetw00d : 2008 Honda Element LX - CB7Tuner Forums

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by domesticated View Post
        Answers above
        thanks for the info



        So your coop is about 4x4, and you have like 16 chickens? Am I understanding that right?

        Holy shit. How do they all fit in there? Is it one of those things that until you do it, you just don't get it?



        My coop and run is going to have a birds eye view footprint of 8x8. Nothing crazy for size. The coop is elevated 30" or so, so the yard underneath the coop is useable space for the chickens yard too. Im not sure if that makes sense how I am describing it, but, its basically elevated so the space underneath is yard also. We only want 4-5 hens. No roosters allowed in the city. The inside dimensions of the coop are like 41" by 78" and I was starting to think 4-5 chickens were going to have a hard time living in there. Do you have any pics of your coop? if not thats cool. How do you handle the roosting bars/nesting boxes for so many chickens in such a tight space? Maybe they pack in tight and I just don't know any better(seriously have 0 experience). 8x30 for the run, thats like 240 sqft / 16 chickens is what, 15 sqft per bird. Thats a nice sized space. You think 8x8 will workout for 4-5 hens?

        Do you have any pics?

        Originally posted by fleetw00d View Post
        Fence didn't help my neighbor's chicken. Local red tail got it, then was so full of chicken he wouldn't fly off my deck railing until someone got within a few feet of him.
        Yeah I hear you need a roof/fence in the "run" too if you have hawks, which I do. I bought hardware cloth, 1/2" 16g for the fencing and 2x3 welded utility fence for the roof in the yard. Hopefully that keeps the predators out. I really don't want my younger boy to have to witness anything like a chicken getting pulled through the vence by a raccoon or a hawk devouring his precious Henrietta. Thats my biggest fear. We have raccoons in the area, and I have heard that they will reach through the fence and pull your chicken out a little at a time. Pretty gruesome and nasty to clean up-so-I opted for quality fencing in an effort to avoid that.








        Thanks for the feedback guys!!


        Anyone else have anything to add?
        Originally posted by wed3k
        im a douchebag to people and i don't even own a lambo. whats your point? we, douchbags, come in all sorts of shapes and colours.

        Comment


          #5
          I'm out of town for a while, but I'll try to get some pics when I get back.
          '93 H22A 5SPD SE - MRT - DIY-Turbo Sizing

          Comment


            #6

            1999 BMW M3
            2001 Honda CR-V SE RT4WD
            2005 Chevrolet Tahoe Z71
            2015 Suzuki V-Strom 650

            Comment


              #7
              I own game fowl. Keep their feet dry, quarantine the sick ones, deworm watch for diseases and go to the feed stores those guys are sharp. My game fowl is illegal to raise for fighting but strangely the birds are killed when animal services get ahold of them.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by JoshM View Post
                Are they all plugged into 110 volts?
                90 LX 4dr 5 spd 396,014 (sold 1/1/2022) - MRT: http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=201450
                08 Element LX FWD AT 229,000 - MRT: fleetw00d : 2008 Honda Element LX - CB7Tuner Forums

                Comment


                  #9
                  haha

                  They're silkies. If I were to have chickens, these would be the ones. They're so damn cute!

                  1999 BMW M3
                  2001 Honda CR-V SE RT4WD
                  2005 Chevrolet Tahoe Z71
                  2015 Suzuki V-Strom 650

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by 8ball View Post
                    I own game fowl. Keep their feet dry, quarantine the sick ones, deworm watch for diseases and go to the feed stores those guys are sharp. My game fowl is illegal to raise for fighting but strangely the birds are killed when animal services get ahold of them.
                    Game fowl, Like phaesant? Turkey?


                    When you say quarantine the sick ones, you mean like it sounds. remove them from the flock? Should I just eat them once they get sick? I hear they are hard to manage once a sickness sets in and that it can take your whole flock in no time. Think thats true?


                    I agree that its odd that birds are illegal to raise for fighting, but its ok to raise them for eating? And what, when they catch on that you intend to let your bird fight, they kill it and think THATS ok instead? WTF?


                    Makes no sense at all. I'm not really for dog fighting/cock fighting, but I do think it has a place in the world. Its a cultural thing, and some people are into it. Whatever.



                    Just because I don't agree with it-that shouldn't mean my opinion matters more than yours. And thats basically what law makers are saying here. And it sounds like poultry suffers a much worse fate from the hands of humans in factories........

                    And Racoons. Seriously, they should stop the racoons because they are too fucking brutal to chickens and thats just wrong. They don't care about chickens rights at all. Assholes.


                    Originally posted by JoshM View Post
                    haha

                    They're silkies. If I were to have chickens, these would be the ones. They're so damn cute!


                    Nice!


                    I think the silkies are really cool too. We have 2 Silver laced Cochins, a Silver Leghorn, a Red Leghorn, and 2 Buff Orpingtons.


                    The coop is done now for the most part. Just waiting to get my permit, and then I can get these damn chickens out of my house. It sucks cleaning out the brooder box every other day and I don't really look foward to dealing with the coop once a month. God, I bet thats going to smell great.
                    Originally posted by wed3k
                    im a douchebag to people and i don't even own a lambo. whats your point? we, douchbags, come in all sorts of shapes and colours.

                    Comment


                      #11











                      '93 H22A 5SPD SE - MRT - DIY-Turbo Sizing

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Very cool man, thanks for sharing.
                        Originally posted by wed3k
                        im a douchebag to people and i don't even own a lambo. whats your point? we, douchbags, come in all sorts of shapes and colours.

                        Comment

                        Working...
                        X