Jenny asks…
How much are chicken coops and other chicken acessories?
I was just wondering how much chicken coops, chicken runs and chicken accessories (like feeders and food) are. If you know anything, or know a website, it will help a lot.
References, sources and sites will help a lot as I am thinking of buying some chickens.
I need to know the rough price so I can start saving!! lol
ALSO – if any of you own chickens, can you tell me how easy/hard they are to keep and how many you have.
Thanks in advance
Bea x
Yahoo Answers answers:
Feeders and waterers range from a couple dollars to hundreds depending on the size and how fancy you want.
Feed is $7-$10 for a 40 lb bag. How long it lasts will depend on how many chickens you have and whether they are free range or not. A bag of feed lasts us quite a while because our chickens are free range so they eat a lot of stuff in the yard.
A coop can get pretty expensive depending on the size you need. You will need to make sure that the coop you get will be able to accommodate your chickens full grown.
Our chickens are fairly easy to care for. We have 14 full grown chickens and 25 chicks that are 9 weeks old. We just put the chicks in with the adults so all are now free range. We let them out in the morning. Feed them once a day. Change water twice a day. Clean out the coop when it needs it…every couple weeks. Collect eggs once a day. Shut them back in at night. If there are animals in your area you will have to make sure that your chickens are safe.
We order chicks from here: http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html
They also have all the accessories you would need. But you can probably get them cheaper at a feed store like Tractor Supply or Orschelns.
This site has a lot of info about coops and chicken care: http://www.backyardchickens.com/
Hope this helps!
Donna asks…
Pet chicken runs around clucking middle of the night?
We have 4 pet chickens and one rooster who are all silkies. One hen, has shown a pattern of coming out of their house and into the run to cluck loudly like she’s upset and runs around the coop run. It’s odd, there’s nothing in the coop to upset her, nothing unsafe or unpleasant. The other hens stay inside with the rooster and it’s just her every night around 12am. She’s not laying eggs out in the run there and we just can’t figure out what would cause this. It’s driving us and the neighbors nuts though and it’s something new. They are all 3-4 years old and have been on the same diet and we’ve not changed a thing in the coop. We have gone out to her and all theother hens come out to see why we’re there and then she shuts up and goes back inside with them all. Anyone have chickens come out at night noisy like this? I’d appreciate it if anyone has any ideas on why. Thanks!
Yahoo Answers answers:
Agree with Jan luv you should shut your chooks away at night, even with a good run a fox could still get them.
Have you checked for red mite? Hens like to roost in the same place every night and if there are red mite on her bit she might be coming out to get relief.
John asks…
Doesn’t it disgust you, how some egg farmers don’t let their chicken run freely, and coop them up in cages?
If egg cartons doesn’t say free run chickens don’t buy them, because they come from chickens cooped up in radiation cages.
Yahoo Answers answers:
Yep, that is why i always buy free-range eggs. Battery farmers also use artificial light to make the chickens lay up to three times a day.
Steven asks…
Can a chicken coop and run stand on bark chippings?
I am thinking of buying chickens and our garden has been laid with bark chippings as we have rabbits and guinea pigs.
Would chickens be able to live on the bark chippings in a chicken coop and run?
If there is any advice you can give about different ground surfaces chickens can live on that would be great.
Jac
Yahoo Answers answers:
You can on farmville 
Carol asks…
What should i do to drain my chicken run?
Im going to be getting a chicken coop and I’m not sure that the ground that im going to be plaing the coop drains out very quickly. What are some alternatives, what about peat pebbles? But i still want to give the chicken a place to dirt bath! What should i do?
Yahoo Answers answers:
First off, check the current sites drainage. To do this, fill a test area with water-kinda like you do for when you need to plant a tree or shrub- and fill the hole with water. Wait for 30 mins and see what the water had done. If it is still there or had not gone down a significant amount then you have very poor drainage and it might be a good idea to move the coop location if possible.
If not, then there are a few tricks you can to to create better drainage. At the coop’s building site, start as if you are needing to make a bed for a good foundation for a building. This may mean digging and evening out the area. Next, place a fine sand down and even it out. If I was doing this, then and the ground had poor drainage, then I would actually create a floor and just have the chickens the coop for roosting and egg laying. I would make then a chicken yard for roaming around and sun and dust baths. This way if they need to get to a completely dry area and out of the wet then they can. I would recommend that you look on the net at coop designs to get an idea of what might work out best in your situation.
Also keep in mind that you can add horse stall products like shavings, or pine pellets to the coops floor to help soak up excess water when it rains. I’ve done this trick many many times and it works really well.
Hope this helps!
Maria asks…
Is it ok to keep chickens/ducks in a normal shed insted of a purpose built chicken coop/run at night?
Hi there, I have 4 runner ducks and am hoping to get some chickens. I have a chicken coop but due to a long term illness I find it hard to managed the bending down/lifting lid of the coop. I was wondering if it would be ok to buy a 6ftx4ft shed and have it just for them? Obviously id make sure theres lots of straw/sawdust in there and put a perch in there for the chickens. Im just not sure if it would be too cold in there? Or if theres any other reasons they shouldnt be in one. Help!
Yahoo Answers answers:
This is exactly what I have done for my chickens. I have a 6×4 shed with vinyl flooring covering the floorboards for easy cleaning. They have 3 nesting boxes and some perches which are easily removed for cleaning.
I cut a hole in the side of the shed and made it into a pop hole to let them in and out easily and obviously I use the big door myself.
I have found it way more easy than a traditional coop.
I replaced the glass windows with perspex ones just incase.
My chickens are more than happy in there and I keep 9. I have been told that it would be ok for upto 15 chickens in there.
Good luck !
Robert asks…
How do you educate Chicken to enter their coop at night????
We have recently built a chicken run consisting of a coop on stilts (600mm high) which is entered by a ramp with footbars at 150mm spacing. The coop is contained within a fully enclosed area (frames with chicken wire) with is approx. 12 square metres.
Upon purchaing 5 chicken (16 week old Marans) they have settled in remarkably well (providing 8 eggs in first 3 days) and during the daytime they appear happy to climb the ramp and indeed 1 of the hens actually used the nest box on the 3rd day.
However at night they have not worked out that it would be prudent for them to enter the coop where there are 2 perches and the floor is covered with sawdust for their comfort.
On the second night we physically picked them up and placed them in the coop where they stayed until morning (albeit with the door to the ramp left shut)
On the third night it looked as though they would enter on their own accord. Alas, at dusk they huddled together at the base to the ramp.
SUGGESTIONS PLEASE
Yahoo Answers answers:
In the morning, feed them in the same spot outside of the coop with the coop shut.
Then feed them at night inside the coop with the door shut.
Continue this for 3 weeks, then feed them in the morning in the same spot with the coop open, and at night in the same spot with the coop shut.
Give them more time, try putting some lavender springs in the nesting area of the coop. It with attract them.
Worked for my friends chickens!
Charles asks…
chicken run and coop size?
Hello,
How big should a chicken run and coop be for 6 chickens? They will be egg-layers. Thanks.
Yahoo Answers answers:
Each bird needs 12 inches to roost on. And one laying box per three birds. I use covered cat litter boxes. Room enough for you to go in and out. Since building supplies usually come in 4 x 8 foot, 8 X 12 or 16 foot will be enough to grow into, adding more poles for roosting as you get more birds. Runs should be as large and as many as you can afford. I have six chicken holes in my coop and six different runs. When one pasture starts looking bad, I close that door and open another. I have an 8 X 12 coop and found thirty birds were a bit too many, but twevle to eighteen is just right. Go to tractor supply store and buy a book.
Susan asks…
help with chicken coops/chicken breed?
I am looking for a pre-made chicken coop/chicken coop blueprint with run for 20+ chickens. Does anyone know where that i could find something that large? Also i was wondeing what breeds are best for egg laying and meat?
Yahoo Answers answers:
You are better off building one that big by yourself…it would be extremely expensive to get one already made and shipped. Look for chicken coop designs on google. It should pop up a bunch of results. I know that the breeds for meat would be the white leghorn. Not sure about egg laying
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
No related posts.