inside the coop

The area of the coop is 10 ft by 16 feet. Initially I was going to pour a concrete floor, but instead of that i'm going to put tiles down. It'll be about the same price and hopefully make it nicer inside.
Yesterday I talked about whether or not to brood in the coop but today I'm worrying about something else

Where to put nests and what they should be
First off, I understand that laying hens need about one nest per 4 or 5 hens. If you think that is wron, let me know. I am starting with a dozen hens, and I'm planning on having 4 nest boxes. Here's a picture of a tradional nest....

Since a lot of what I'm reading says, clean - clean- - clean-- I thought that maybe a wooden nest might not make the most sense. So, I bought a pre-fab nest on-line and my wife and I assembled it last night. Here's what it looks like in our dining room....

The floors of the nest are made of plastic and come right out. The whole thing can be hung from the wall and those little floor roosts, deck or whatever you call it, actually fold up and out of the way. I think ths will help me with my efforts to keep the whole thing clean. . . . You know like a maternity ward.

not like a factory

Preparing for the chicks

I'm going to be picking up the first half dozen chicks probably on April 5th. These will be the Wyandottes. They will be ONE DAY OLD! (You can see Wyandottes from my Post entitled "Chickens are on Order")

In nature, the mother hen 'broods' her chicks, but I don't have a mother hen OK,  I have to make a brooder set up. Actually, I'm planning on setting up what is called "an area brooder". This creates a heated area, a place for water and a feeder.
I'll either use a big box, or I'll set up a corrugated wall ( 18 inches high),in a circle with a diameter of about 4 feet. I'll hang a heat light from above, and monitor the heat with a thermometer. I'll start at about 95 degrees (under the light) for the first week, then lower the temp about 5 degrees each week. The light is called a hover and I can adjust the temperature simply by raising or lowering the light.

The chicks will also be part of the heat control. They can move under or away from the light. If they are massed directly under the light I'll know they're cold and if they are massing against the corrugated wall, I'll know its too hot. SIMPLE?

Well, you've seen pictures of the coop under construction. I don't know if I should start the brooder in the coop or in the house. There are pro's and con's to each. Do you have any recommendations????

I should probably have two light sources for the brood if its outside, because if the light goes out, they could freeze to death.
I'm kind of thinking I'd like to keep them in the house for the first few weeks . But the biggest problem inside is:

Well, this makes it seem that the dog might be an issue but in fact the real danger is simply:

 Keeska!

The coop goes on

 Last week was a good week weather-wise and a lot got accomplished. There's yet a few secrets being kept by this coop, though! We'll see them as time goes by.....
You probably saw the excavator in the first two pictures. We used it to set the sona-tubes to support the coop. The land goes down behind and I'll put pea-stones on it so there's a nice sheltered area for 'the girls' on hot days. We haven't moved the excavator off yet because we still need to run water and electric over.

This is Sox. He and a few of his kind spend their days in the adjoining pasture. During the day, the chickens will have access to the pasture. This is good for everyone because the horses won't eat grass that's growing near their manure. The birds will scratch out their manure for bugs, mmmmmmm! This helps it break down grow more grass . . . ok you get it!
I am waiting eagerly for the Easter chix.

I actually ordered 12 chix

These are buff orpington chix. I've also ordered six of these. The Wyandottes are coming (or at least scheduled to come) April 5th, the day after Easter. The Orp's are coming on the 12th.

Chix need to be kept very warm when they're born, my book says 95 degrees. So, I have a 'brooder lamp that I'll hang over the area. The book says to decrease the heat by 5 degrees per week. I can do this by raising it higher above the floor. I need to find out if I can put both broods together. One will be a week older than the other. Hmmmm?

These are grown buff orpington's.
Orpingtons are big, friendly dual-purpose birds originally developed in the UK, and for many small farms Orpingtons are the only way to go! They're friendly and cold-hardy due to their fluffy plumage. The Buff Orpington is the most popular and all varieties, especially the black and blue, are rare.

When I say 'dual-purpose I mean good egg layers and good meat birds.
OK, you say, are you going to be able to kill one of your chix? I don't know.

Chickens are on order

This is a Silver Wyandotte hen. I've ordered 6 chix of this breed. Wyandottes are a favorite amongst backyard flock owners for their dependable egg laying, easygoing nature, hardiness, and the great variety of beautiful feather patterns available. Silver Penciled, Golden Laced, Blue, Columbian and White Wyandottes are all rather rare.

This is a silver wyandotte chic.

getting ready

I've ordered some chix and have begun building the chicken coop. The spot I picked is just off the back of the house and near the edge of the first horse pasture.

My wife wasn't wild about me raising chickens, but at Christmas I got a gift from my daughter Jen, "The Idiots guide to raising Chickens". Along with this was a gift certific

ate for 6 chix.

My wife cried 'fowl'. But, since she got a kitten for Christmas, I get the chickens!