backyard chickens

[dadbod]

We're considering renovating an old playhouse in our backyard into a chicken coop.  I think it is a perfect structure - stable, good size, short door that I can fit through, and windows on two sides.  There is a garden shed about 10 feet from one side and I'm thinking of using the space between the shed and the playhouse/coop as a chicken run.  I'd wire the run in.  We could even add a ramp leading up to the window to allow access to the run from the coop. 

Any advice from at-home chicken farmers?  We don't really know how to get started. 

[Sanitary Stache]

Step 1 - get the chickens.
Step 2 - profit (from the joy of more chores).

We bought 6 chicks and when they were old enough and the weather warm enough for them to go outside, we let them roam.  They ate our neighbors flowers and she didn't like that, so we put them in a run about 10 feet wide by 16 feet long. That cut off a corner of our fenced in yard so I made some super temporary terraces out of branches on our back bank and fenced in a larger run.  About 15 by 25 feet.  It looks like enough space for 12 or 15 chickens, so next year we will expand our coop and get more chickens!  We get feed from a nearby store and most other equipment is regularly on offer on craigslist. We give them more of our kitchen scraps and all of our garden and yard waste and the kids dig up worms for them.

For fencing I used a nylon deer fence zip tied to some 10 foot tall 2x2 set in about 8 inches of concrete. I buried the bottom of the netting because the chickens like to dig.  Our coop is elevated and inside our yard fence. The chickens access it from a ladder

They just started laying eggs. At least one of them has.

I think we read a book called Backyard Hens or chickens.

[HPstache]

We have at backyard chickens for about 10 years now, anywhere from 4 to 10 at any given time.  For the most part, we have really enjoyed them.  The eggs are amazing (you'll never want store bought again) and they are legitimately fun creatures to have around/watch.  The big thing that we did not know going in is that these suckers can be LOUD.  We have had chickens that sing their egg song (Youtube that if you don't know what that sounds like) super early in the morning (5:00am) nearly every morning and it gets really annoying to us and can be extremely annoying to neighbors who don't even get eggs out of the deal.  Research which chickens are the quietest (though this is no guarantee), make sure you can close the door and keep them cooped up until a reasonable time like 7 or 8, and be mentally prepared to move on from a noisy one...  Be considerate of your neighbors if you have any even somewhat close. 

Edit: Other thing to consider: you will not be able to introduce new chickens to your flock.  They will employ a gruesome pecking order to new chickens.  So when you need new chickens someday, you'll need to start completely over.

I'd be happy to answer any questions.

[trollwithamustache]

you need a good plan to remove the poop. There will be a lot of poop to remove.  Your plan sounds like it could work just fine, if you have a good way to remove poop. Did I mention the poop?

Chickens are really pretty easy overall, don't worry about it and charge in!

[chaskavitch]

We have at backyard chickens for about 10 years now, anywhere from 4 to 10 at any given time.  For the most part, we have really enjoyed them.  The eggs are amazing (you'll never want store bought again) and they are legitimately fun creatures to have around/watch.  The big thing that we did not know going in is that these suckers can be LOUD.  We have had chickens that sing their egg song (Youtube that if you don't know what that sounds like) super early in the morning (5:00am) nearly every morning and it gets really annoying to us and can be extremely annoying to neighbors who don't even get eggs out of the deal.  Research which chickens are the quietest (though this is no guarantee), make sure you can close the door and keep them cooped up until a reasonable time like 7 or 8, and be mentally prepared to move on from a noisy one...  Be considerate of your neighbors if you have any even somewhat close. 

Edit: Other thing to consider: you will not be able to introduce new chickens to your flock.  They will employ a gruesome pecking order to new chickens.  So when you need new chickens someday, you'll need to start completely over.

I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Have you really had that many problems introducing new chickens?  We've done it twice, and although the older chickens have picked on the new ones, we've had bullying just as severe or worse within our original flock.  I've found that as long as you have >2 new chickens, and cordon them off for a little while where they can see and kind of interact with the original flock before you really put them together, it works out alright.  You definitely can't brood or introduce single birds, for sure.

We've had chickens for 5 years now, both in a small backyard in town and in our acre lot now.  If you already have something to use for a coop, that's awesome!

You'll need to think about brooding chicks for about 12 weeks (until it's warm enough/they're big enough to go outside).  They need to be kept really warm for the first few weeks, no drafts, with a heat lamp, but after they're mature they're SUPER easy.  Under no circumstances keep them in your house the whole time you're brooding them, because chicken bedding is stupid dusty, and you don't want aerosolized chicken poop just wafting around and coating everything.  Trust me, it's gross forever. 

My only real complaints are that their fresh poops are so so so smelly, and that you have to lock them in at night and let them out in the morning.  Otherwise, their food is very inexpensive, they eat all of our food scraps that we don't compost, and they're pretty funny to watch :)

Make sure they're legal to keep within your city limits, and whether or not you need to license yourself.  You may also want to check with your neighbors to be sure they won't mind, especially if you have an HOA.

We chose our chickens based on 1) Weather tolerance 2) Egg color 3) Egg laying capacity and 4) Appearance.  We have a little bit of overlap, but our chickens are mostly very different from one another, and it's super fun :) 

We have three Ameraucanas of varying color (blue eggs), an olive egger (green/olive eggs), a Brabanter (white eggs, but they have a mohawk/head poof of feathers that's amazing), a Marans and a Welsumer (dark brown eggs), and a variety of "regular" brown egg layers - Orpington, Brahma, Speckled Sussex, Barred Rock, Gold Sex link, etc.  Our 4 year old loves that he can tell which chicken is which to name them, and I love having such a variety of eggs.

[HPstache]

We have at backyard chickens for about 10 years now, anywhere from 4 to 10 at any given time.  For the most part, we have really enjoyed them.  The eggs are amazing (you'll never want store bought again) and they are legitimately fun creatures to have around/watch.  The big thing that we did not know going in is that these suckers can be LOUD.  We have had chickens that sing their egg song (Youtube that if you don't know what that sounds like) super early in the morning (5:00am) nearly every morning and it gets really annoying to us and can be extremely annoying to neighbors who don't even get eggs out of the deal.  Research which chickens are the quietest (though this is no guarantee), make sure you can close the door and keep them cooped up until a reasonable time like 7 or 8, and be mentally prepared to move on from a noisy one...  Be considerate of your neighbors if you have any even somewhat close. 

Edit: Other thing to consider: you will not be able to introduce new chickens to your flock.  They will employ a gruesome pecking order to new chickens.  So when you need new chickens someday, you'll need to start completely over.

I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Have you really had that many problems introducing new chickens?  We've done it twice, and although the older chickens have picked on the new ones, we've had bullying just as severe or worse within our original flock.  I've found that as long as you have >2 new chickens, and cordon them off for a little while where they can see and kind of interact with the original flock before you really put them together, it works out alright.  You definitely can't brood or introduce single birds, for sure.

We only tried it once, and never tried again, maybe we just had a rare bad experience.  The new chickens, I believe it was two (?) were often bloody and one lost an eye.

[chaskavitch]

We have at backyard chickens for about 10 years now, anywhere from 4 to 10 at any given time.  For the most part, we have really enjoyed them.  The eggs are amazing (you'll never want store bought again) and they are legitimately fun creatures to have around/watch.  The big thing that we did not know going in is that these suckers can be LOUD.  We have had chickens that sing their egg song (Youtube that if you don't know what that sounds like) super early in the morning (5:00am) nearly every morning and it gets really annoying to us and can be extremely annoying to neighbors who don't even get eggs out of the deal.  Research which chickens are the quietest (though this is no guarantee), make sure you can close the door and keep them cooped up until a reasonable time like 7 or 8, and be mentally prepared to move on from a noisy one...  Be considerate of your neighbors if you have any even somewhat close. 

Edit: Other thing to consider: you will not be able to introduce new chickens to your flock.  They will employ a gruesome pecking order to new chickens.  So when you need new chickens someday, you'll need to start completely over.

I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Have you really had that many problems introducing new chickens?  We've done it twice, and although the older chickens have picked on the new ones, we've had bullying just as severe or worse within our original flock.  I've found that as long as you have >2 new chickens, and cordon them off for a little while where they can see and kind of interact with the original flock before you really put them together, it works out alright.  You definitely can't brood or introduce single birds, for sure.

We only tried it once, and never tried again, maybe we just had a rare bad experience.  The new chickens, I believe it was two (?) were often bloody and one lost an eye.

Oh my goodness, that's awful!  I'm sorry, I definitely wouldn't have tried again either. 

The pecking in our original flock got to the point once where one chicken had zero neck feathers left, and I was afraid the bully was going to kill her.  We got some Pinless Peepers (basically opaque sunglasses for chickens) and that somehow worked.  I guess the theory is that if they can't see right in front of themselves, they won't peck the other chickens, but their peripheral vision is good enough for eating and foraging and everything.  She's still wearing them, and honestly still in charge, but there's much less aggressive pecking now.

[I'm a red panda]

Another thing to consider is what you will do when the chickens can no longer lay.

One town near us does not allow slaughter. (I think owners still do- but it's illegal.) 
Ours does as long as it is in a space enclosd from view (you can't do it in an open backyard)

I would not get chickens in a town that does not allow slaughter. I don't want a bunch of old chickens hanging out forever.  I want a yummy dinner.


(We looked at getting chickens, and decided against it. Too expensive, too loud, too much work.  We buy eggs from people who have taken this all on instead of us.)

[cerat0n1a]

Edit: Other thing to consider: you will not be able to introduce new chickens to your flock.  They will employ a gruesome pecking order to new chickens.  So when you need new chickens someday, you'll need to start completely over.

I think it does depend somewhat on the breed - silkies and rhode island reds can be pretty aggressive to newcomers, other breeds can be less of a problem.

I've added new chickens many times without any serious injuries. The newcomers need to spend some time where they can be seen, but not hurt - basically a separate pen next to the current pen. After a few days, you can let them mingle - ideally in a space where they can range about. If the fights get too bad, you have to separate them and try again the next day.

You need to think about whether these are pets or not. Either way, you need to think about end of life - killing them when they stop laying, or if they get sick. It typically just isn't worth taking hens to a vet.

They're not really much work and I find them great fun to have around, but they do need a small amount of daily attention - feeding, checking on water and health, collecting eggs, opening and closing the coop. You ideally need to have some neighbours or friends who can drop by every day if you're planning to go anywhere - even a day trip might mean someone needs to come and close them up when it gets dark.

[robartsd]

(We looked at getting chickens, and decided against it. Too expensive, too loud, too much work.  We buy eggs from people who have taken this all on instead of us.)

Some friends of ours share home grown vegetables with a neighbor in exchange for eggs. They are amazed that the neighbor considers vegetable gardening too much work, but are happy to keep chickens.

[dadbod]

Wow, this is all really helpful!  Thank you!  The one point that is a bit concerning to me is the noise.  For whatever reason, I didn't realize that chickens make (a lot of) noise.  We have three neighbors, good relationships with two of them, and sort of cold war relations with the third. 

I've also looked into the town rules for chickens and we are in the grey area due to setback from property lines, which means they have rules but no one enforces them unless a complaint is made.  Multiple people on our street have backyard chickens that violate the setback rules without a problem.  If we do this it won't be until next spring so something to think about.

Assuming we go forward, any benefit to running power to the coop?  We are running power to the shed, which previously had power and the line was removed when we did some work in the yard.  We could easily run a line to the coop at the same time - but not sure if it is necessary.

I suspect that we would keep the chickens as pets once they are past their egg laying days.  We have a toddler and are already struggling with how to explain that Fin the Fish went to the great fish tank in the sky.  Although I have some friends in the country that could easily help us with that problem if it comes to that. 

A lot to think about.  Thanks again.

[robartsd]

I suspect that we would keep the chickens as pets once they are past their egg laying days.  We have a toddler and are already struggling with how to explain that Fin the Fish went to the great fish tank in the sky.  Although I have some friends in the country that could easily help us with that problem if it comes to that. 

Just be aware that chickens as pets is not a cost effective way to get eggs. Over the life of the hen, you will likely spend at least as much on feed as you gain from the eggs produced during her laying years.

My primary motivation for wanting chickens is to have animals that like to dig for bugs and seeds. I'd want to give them a few days in each garden bed between crops in hopes that they'd help control pests and weeds. I don't want the daily chore of opening and closing the coop needed to keep them safe from predators, so I'd likely look to automated solutions for that (I'm OK with daily chores as long as flexible timing is not a problem).

[HPstache]

Attaching a picture of our severely over designed coup and run.  We had rabbits above our chickens for a while (wife was into breeding them), we no longer have them and store our firewood there now.  It started out as just the structure on the right, but we added the longer run when we got the rabbits and went fro 5 chickens to 10.  The protrusion above the firewood is the next box that flips open to grab the eggs.  There is a large cleanout door on the far side that can't be seen in the picture for cleaning out the poop and shavings.

Edit: Looking at this picture also reminded me... Use heavy gauge 2x4 chicken wire, not the super thin traditional woven chicken wire.  A raccoon, I am told, can destroy traditional chicken wire if it is desperate enough.

[HPstache]

Wow, this is all really helpful!  Thank you!  The one point that is a bit concerning to me is the noise.  For whatever reason, I didn't realize that chickens make (a lot of) noise.  We have three neighbors, good relationships with two of them, and sort of cold war relations with the third. 

I've also looked into the town rules for chickens and we are in the grey area due to setback from property lines, which means they have rules but no one enforces them unless a complaint is made.  Multiple people on our street have backyard chickens that violate the setback rules without a problem.  If we do this it won't be until next spring so something to think about.

Assuming we go forward, any benefit to running power to the coop?  We are running power to the shed, which previously had power and the line was removed when we did some work in the yard.  We could easily run a line to the coop at the same time - but not sure if it is necessary.

I suspect that we would keep the chickens as pets once they are past their egg laying days.  We have a toddler and are already struggling with how to explain that Fin the Fish went to the great fish tank in the sky.  Although I have some friends in the country that could easily help us with that problem if it comes to that. 

A lot to think about.  Thanks again.

Where are you located geographically?  I WISH we had power and water out by the coup, that would be so handy.  We typically turn on a 100W bulb to keep thing slightly warmer when temps drop below like 25F or so and it takes all kinds of messing around with extension cords to do it.  A no freeze spigot and outlet near the could would come in super handy, but not required by any means, especially if you are in a warmer climate.  If the shed is not far from the coup, that's probably sufficient IMO.

[chaskavitch]

Wow, this is all really helpful!  Thank you!  The one point that is a bit concerning to me is the noise.  For whatever reason, I didn't realize that chickens make (a lot of) noise.  We have three neighbors, good relationships with two of them, and sort of cold war relations with the third. 

I've also looked into the town rules for chickens and we are in the grey area due to setback from property lines, which means they have rules but no one enforces them unless a complaint is made.  Multiple people on our street have backyard chickens that violate the setback rules without a problem.  If we do this it won't be until next spring so something to think about.

Assuming we go forward, any benefit to running power to the coop?  We are running power to the shed, which previously had power and the line was removed when we did some work in the yard.  We could easily run a line to the coop at the same time - but not sure if it is necessary.

I suspect that we would keep the chickens as pets once they are past their egg laying days.  We have a toddler and are already struggling with how to explain that Fin the Fish went to the great fish tank in the sky.  Although I have some friends in the country that could easily help us with that problem if it comes to that. 

A lot to think about.  Thanks again.

Where are you located geographically?  I WISH we had power and water out by the coup, that would be so handy.  We typically turn on a 100W bulb to keep thing slightly warmer when temps drop below like 25F or so and it takes all kinds of messing around with extension cords to do it.  A no freeze spigot and outlet near the could would come in super handy, but not required by any means, especially if you are in a warmer climate.  If the shed is not far from the coup, that's probably sufficient IMO.

Agreed that power is helpful.  Our coop is right next to a shed with electricity, and we just run an extension cord out in the winter.

We have a heated waterer for the winter so it doesn't freeze over, and my husband likes to have a heat lamp and a light that turns on in the AM in the winter to give them more daylight hours to stimulate egg production a little.  The heat lamp and light are unnecessary (probably) and some people advise against them.  If you're interested in an automatic door, lol, then power might come in handy for that as well.  I'd love an automatic door.

[bloodaxe]

Anyone actually have neighbors complain to the city about chickens? What happened?

I'm technically allowed to have backyard chickens, but coop needs to be 150 ft from nearest neighbor. This distance isn't possible for me. But I have no qualms breaking this stupid rule.

[robartsd]

Anyone actually have neighbors complain to the city about chickens? What happened?

I'm technically allowed to have backyard chickens, but coop needs to be 150 ft from nearest neighbor. This distance isn't possible for me. But I have no qualms breaking this stupid rule.

Most people start on good terms with the neighbor, then share eggs. While a setbacks from property lines, neighbors' residences, and/or your own residence are in a lot of backyard chicken ordinances, 150 ft is quite a bit more than the rules I've typically seen.

[KathrinS]

Growing up, we had a variety of chicken breeds, including standard hybrid ones, Sussex, Rhode Island, Orpington, Silkies, Araucana (really cool because they lay turquoise eggs). We always had at least 2-3 roosters and only ever had to put down one because he'd attack everyone and everything, including the lawnmower. Introducing new birds to the flock was never an issue. We always kept them inside the coop in a smaller, separate cage overnight. That way, the next morning they would already somewhat smell like the old flock. Then we'd monitor them for a few hours but they were always ok, even in such a mixed group.

Re - neighbours: we didn't really have neighbours at the beginning, but the barn directly opposite the coop was converted into flats, so many people moved in. They all loved watching the chickens and didn't complain about the noise, even with several roosters. But that's maybe because they moved in when the chickens were already there, so they knew it was going to be loud. It's a traditional farm-type setting, so I guess it added to the rustic charm.

There are two big negatives we observed: Firstly, chickens are expensive and the eggs barely cover the cost of their food, let alone the stable and the cost of buying new ones. We never killed any, so some lived and ate for years after they stopped laying. Roosters can easily live to 7, while hens usually die after 3-4 years.
Secondly, we stopped having chickens because one day, a marten came in and killed the entire flock (30 birds). This was a heartbreaking experience and we just couldn't face getting any more after that. My mother might get some again at some point, but it's been 6 years.