Pet Chicken Coop Plans
Sandy asks…
What do I do with my chickens when I go to college?
I got some chicks a few weeks ago in the mail, and have been planning out coops, and all. I had some other chicks earlier, but got killed by a hawk, and one by a raccoon. So I need to know what to do with my chickens when they stop laying. No way will I eat them, or allow anyone else to eat them. I don't want to sell them, at a young age, because when the other family is done with them, the crockpot it is! I doubt my mom will keep them, and pay if they aren't laying enough eggs. They still have 5 years left with me, but they can live to 10 years. I was wondering, are they any families out there that would like chickens that are very nice? Do you think anyone would want some 5 year old chickens, NOT for chicken soup? Maybe I could take them to a pet resuce, but I hate to give the resuce more pets to find homes for. I figure that maybe 6 of my 12 chickens will still be alive when I need to leave for college. Now I understand the mistake I made. I already named two of the chicks, and they are all so dear, they will fall asleep in my hand, and when we are outside on a sunny day, if I move, they all start to chirp, then follow me, and quiet down after I sit back down. No way will I let anyone eat, or kill them. Cull time is no where near for us! One of my ideas is to sell them to people on craigslist as pets. Can I have your ideas? I doubt my mom will want to keep them around the house when I leave.
"Chickens are friends, not food" taken from "Finding Nemo" (Origanal, "Fish are Friends, Not Food!"
txpainth... - Really? You couldn't even come up with something simple, like give them away for free??? At least the person before you have some good Ideas!
Building Chicken Coops answers:
You could probably sell them to a farm and get money and use that for gas or college or give them away. Ummm give or sell to a family in need of chickens or kill them and eat them... Whatever you chose im sure it came from your heart.
Daniel asks…
Planning to get chickens...?
Im planning to get 2/3 bantam/slikies as pets soon.. but am saving up myself
Im in the UK..how muuch does it cot for the upkeeps and buying of them?
how big does their coop need to be?
thanks 
Building Chicken Coops answers:
I have just bought bantam eggs on ebay, a mix of 6 for £6 or so, and i am incubating them, that way you can have them hatch and have them be used to you from being babys. Make your own incubator, or if you have a bit of money for it, you can by the r-com 3 egg incubator on ebay for £60 or so. Bantams need only a few meters squared, you can also buy a lovely little coop for 3 chickens.. Heres some links. Good luck with your chickens, they are brilliant!
http://cgi.ebay.ie/NEW-R-Com-Auto-Egg-Incubator-w-Humidity-EXTRAS_W0QQitemZ270207949735QQihZ017QQcategoryZ66905QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p1638.m122
http://www.omlet.co.uk/shop/shop.php
Jenny asks…
How to raise chickens for butcher?
I am thinking about getting chicken. I have a house in a rural area. I plan to get about 3 roasting hens, getting what eggs i can out of them, and butcher them before they reach a year old.
As chicks, what sort of light do they need? For how long?
How big does the coop have to be(For 3) when they are ready to move in?
And please, if you get attached to chickens, don't answer. I plan to raise, kill and eat them, not love them as pets. I don't particularity want them to have horrible living conditions, but I don't want to spend hundreds of bucks for food.
PS, sorry but I have no idea where to put this.
Building Chicken Coops answers:
There's more to this than most people realize.
As chicks, they need a lot of attention. Before obtaining any chicks, you will need to prepare a space for them. The pen should have fresh wood shavings, clean water containers, and plenty of chicken feed. Remember that what they eat, you will be eating, so think twice before you slack on the feed. Chicks will need to be fed & watered twice a day, and they'll need heat lamps in the beginning as well, every day, 24 hrs a day, until they get their first adult feathers. It's a good idea to put the brooder in a small fenced area so they can get some exercise outside, but have access to the heat lamp. Daily cleaning of their space is necessary too.
Since you want both eggs and meat from the chickens, you'll want to get dual purpose chickens. They are smaller than commercial broilers, reaching a mature body weight of about 5 1/2 lbs. A healthy hen will produce roughly 200-250 eggs per year. Columbian Rock or Light Sussex are good breeds for your intentions. They'll need to be vaccinated, and protected from disease exposure, which means limiting their exposure to wildlife, including birds. You'll also need to learn lighting management, which is important to egg production. Lighting will stimulate egg production, and help to synchronize the pullets so they begin laying at approximately the same time. Between daylight and artificial lighting, the chickens should be exposed to light 12 hours/day by 19 weeks, gradually increased to 16 hours/day by 21 weeks.
As the chicks mature (when they reach about 4 weeks old) you'll want to add Grit to their feed. This helps with digestion. Your best bet is to allow them to roam during the day, and close them in a coop at night.
Nesting boxes will need to be provided for the chickens. 1 nest should be provided for every 5 hens. They should be 2 feet off the floor, and at least 12"x12". Nesting material should be placed in the nests and replaced regularly. Hens will sit on perches, especially at night, and this will help keep the nests clean. Choose a hard wood, rounded, and not too wide, but deep enough that they don't puncture their own footpads whilst wrapping their feet around it. Temperatures should be maintained between 54ºf and 78ºf. Sudden increases of decreases in temperature will stress the hens and adversely affect egg laying.
Laying hens should have ready access to feed and water. Calcium intake is very important for laying hens; the main source for this is usually oystershells in their feed. You can also add egg shells to their feed, crushed. They need to be able to move, to wander if you want healthy eggs and healthy meat. Good ventilation is also essential to prevent the build up of gasses. The coop will need to be large enough to accommodate the nesting box(es), a separate area for perches (one per chicken, at least a foot wide), and room to keep a water source. Wood chips are fine for litter, but not sawdust as the chicks will not differentiate between it and feed, and it can kill them.
Get your feed from a reputable farm supply shop. They'll be able to tell you the best kind for the type of chickens you are raising. They'll also tell you the best Grit, and when and how often to add any supplements.
