# I’m new !!



## Chickens4life (Apr 1, 2021)

Hello everyone ! I’m new to this forum . I havent got chickens yet but we are seriously looking into getting some and I’m very excited ! But has anyone got any tips for people on budgets ? And anywhere to get cheap chicken coops from ? And breeds ? Thanks have a great day !!!!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Welcome to the forum. 

It's great you're learning beforehand about chickens. They aren't quite as easy as our dogs and cats to keep but are such a great addition to everyday life.

Cheap is a relative descriptor. I'm sure there are many options out there for creating secure coops out of everyday items. I'll be darned if I know where it is now but there is a topic on coops. I'll go looking for it and post a link.

A woman made herself a hoop coop out of found items on her property just recently. It's pretty impressive.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Coops, Runs and Housing


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Welcome to the forum! Take some time and look around some of the threads, you may get some ideas.


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## Chickens4life (Apr 1, 2021)

robin416 said:


> Welcome to the forum.
> 
> It's great you're learning beforehand about chickens. They aren't quite as easy as our dogs and cats to keep but are such a great addition to everyday life.
> 
> ...


Thank you! I love it here  yeah before I get any animal I always do LOTS of learning before ! Do you know what breed is the best ?


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## Chickens4life (Apr 1, 2021)

robin416 said:


> Coops, Runs and Housing


Thank youuuuuuu amazing !!!!


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## Chickens4life (Apr 1, 2021)

Poultry Judge said:


> Welcome to the forum! Take some time and look around some of the threads, you may get some ideas.


Thanks so much !! I love chickens and always have ! Do you have any things I should know about them ?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I think each of us could write a book on them and what makes them content.

The most important things are secure digs, fresh food, fresh water, sunshine. Knowing where your birds are coming from is important to avoid problems.

I have no suggestions for you on breeds. What do you think you want in them? Strictly egg layers? Human friendly?


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

*To decide what breed, you need to decide what you want them for. Meat-eggs-pets? Large fowl or bantams? Some bantam breeds are good egg producers. Then just go online and look at images. There's a breed for just about every taste.*

*If you live in a warmer state you will find a coop less expense than in the north where coops need to be insulated and made to protect from severe cold. Here in the south cold happens but is rarely prolonged. One of my coops is made from screen, garden netting, and pine needles.*

















*These pictures are not recent; the coop is now covered in a rooftop flower bed and he sides are covered in ivy and honeysuckle.*


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## Overmountain1 (Jun 5, 2020)

Dan’s coop is super cool- it’s a like a little jungle hideaway! That particular one anyway. Love it. (Really Dan, that was an inspired build.) 

As they have said, let us know what your purpose is; mine are pets first and eggs second, but there’s also no reason you cannot raise a variety. 

Ask and dig and see what you find! I can tell you now that D’Uccles make fabulous pets, as well as tiny Serama. I have a super tame Old English Game cock (my Chippy- baby) and some full-size Wyandotte hens, although they live apart from the bantams. Also some mixed breed that are super duper sweet and friendly. Cochin either size are also very friendly and make great pets. Good luck looking around- I have a ton of pics here and there if you want to know more.


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## Chickens4life (Apr 1, 2021)

robin416 said:


> I think each of us could write a book on them and what makes them content.
> 
> The most important things are secure digs, fresh food, fresh water, sunshine. Knowing where your birds are coming from is important to avoid problems.
> 
> I have no suggestions for you on breeds. What do you think you want in them? Strictly egg layers? Human friendly?


thanks for the information.
i would like them to be human friendly  I don’t really mind about the eggs I just want them as pets


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## Chickens4life (Apr 1, 2021)

danathome said:


> *To decide what breed, you need to decide what you want them for. Meat-eggs-pets? Large fowl or bantams? Some bantam breeds are good egg producers. Then just go online and look at images. There's a breed for just about every taste.
> 
> If you live in a warmer state you will find a coop less expense than in the north where coops need to be insulated and made to protect from severe cold. Here in the south cold happens but is rarely prolonged. One of my coops is made from screen, garden netting, and pine needles.*
> 
> ...


Hi thanks for replying !
i would like my chickens to be pets  I don’t really care about the eggs lol.
i love in england so in the summer it gets very hot but in the winter it rains , snows , hails , thunders everything so I’m stuck on what Coop to get haha


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## Chickens4life (Apr 1, 2021)

Overmountain1 said:


> Dan’s coop is super cool- it’s a like a little jungle hideaway! That particular one anyway. Love it. (Really Dan, that was an inspired build.)
> 
> As they have said, let us know what your purpose is; mine are pets first and eggs second, but there’s also no reason you cannot raise a variety.
> 
> Ask and dig and see what you find! I can tell you now that D’Uccles make fabulous pets, as well as tiny Serama. I have a super tame Old English Game cock (my Chippy- baby) and some full-size Wyandotte hens, although they live apart from the bantams. Also some mixed breed that are super duper sweet and friendly. Cochin either size are also very friendly and make great pets. Good luck looking around- I have a ton of pics here and there if you want to know more.


Sorry I didn’t reply sooner  my purpose is pets for them to have a great life 
I will search the Internet for friendly chickens thank you so much !


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Orpingtons are top of mind for me and being human friendly. 

Their coop doesn't have to be fancy. It needs to keep the weather out, has enough room for the number of birds and decent air circulation. Perks are having power to the coop so you can see what you're doing.

Not sure how they are across the pond for prebuilt coops but here they'll tell you their coops will hold three times the birds they can hold safely. Thing 4 square feet of open floor space. Open means don't include the space the waterer and feeder or nesting areas will take.


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

Pets-Salmon Favorelle, Cochin, Phoenix, Serama, Silkies, all make good to great pets.


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## Overmountain1 (Jun 5, 2020)

What they said! 
Coop building rules I was given: 

Dry but not completely shut up and/or dark, include windows anywhere you safely can. 
Airflow without being drafty
Several perch options
Nest boxes- whatever works- some off the ground some near the ground and they’ll probably all use the same one but give them some options anyway. 
Predator-proof the crap out of it! Hardware cloth on any/all openings, and bury some around the outside of the coop and run if at all possible. 

So, basically what they said, and a bunch of contradictions! Hehe! Dan has some of the friendliest chickens I’ve ever seen, so I would def trust his word on those breeds. And I can second them!


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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)

Chickens4life said:


> Hello everyone ! I’m new to this forum . I havent got chickens yet but we are seriously looking into getting some and I’m very excited ! But has anyone got any tips for people on budgets ? And anywhere to get cheap chicken coops from ? And breeds ? Thanks have a great day !!!!


I found these ready made coops to be expensive and smaller than what I wanted. I have a huge storage barn. A friend and I divided the building into and put windows in(my old windows from my house). We put roosts but they prefer to sleep on the wall. My nest boxes are made from totes. We built a run and I found someone getting rid of tin and made the roof from that. I have not much more financially in it than I would in the prefab and they have much more room. I prefer for mine to have more room than they actually need. I have 6 hens and a rooster. Their house section is 12 feet wide and 20 feet long.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

HSJ07 said:


> I found these ready made coops to be expensive and smaller than what I wanted. I have a huge storage barn. A friend and I divided the building into and put windows in(my old windows from my house). We put roosts but they prefer to sleep on the wall. My nest boxes are made from totes. We built a run and I found someone getting rid of tin and made the roof from that. I have not much more financially in it than I would in the prefab and they have much more room. I prefer for mine to have more room than they actually need. I have 6 hens and a rooster. Their house section is 12 feet wide and 20 feet long.


Send some pictures of your setup if you can.


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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)

HSJ07 said:


> I found these ready made coops to be expensive and smaller than what I wanted. I have a huge storage barn. A friend and I divided the building into and put windows in(my old windows from my house). We put roosts but they prefer to sleep on the wall. My nest boxes are made from totes. We built a run and I found someone getting rid of tin and made the roof from that. I have not much more financially in it than I would in the prefab and they have much more room. I prefer for mine to have more room than they actually need. I have 6 hens and a rooster. Their house section is 12 feet wide and 20 feet long.


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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)




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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)




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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)




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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)

In cold weather, I lined the walls with bales of straw with the exception of windows and put straw on the floor which kept the coop warm. Of course I put new straw on the floor each week as I clean my chicken house good every week. I put in brand new nest boxes every 6 months.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

A brand new coop waiting on the inhabitants.


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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)

robin416 said:


> A brand new coop waiting on the inhabitants.


To be truthful it has been inhabited since October. I scrub my mats every week and spray and wipe down the entire coop with white vinegar and water. It is alot nicer since I don't have to use straw now that it is warm..I did add another nest box and another roost and insulated the walls. My chickens are very spoiled but they produce great eggs.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I know. You posted that last pic while I was making my comment.


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## Thecacklingshepperds (May 11, 2021)

Chickens4life said:


> Hello everyone ! I’m new to this forum . I havent got chickens yet but we are seriously looking into getting some and I’m very excited ! But has anyone got any tips for people on budgets ? And anywhere to get cheap chicken coops from ? And breeds ? Thanks have a great day !!!!


Hi there, I've built a couple co-ops myself. They are fine coops but I wish I would have had a plan. There's a nice book of different plans for everybudget check it out.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Thanks for the pics, nice setup!


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Thecacklingshepperds said:


> Hi there, I've built a couple co-ops myself. They are fine coops but I wish I would have had a plan. There's a nice book of different plans for everybudget check it out.


Welcome to the forum! My coops are always a work in progress and there are lots of good ideas in the plan books.


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