2- WHAT TO GET BEFORE CHICKENS ARRIVE
SHELTER – Chickens need a roof over their head and walls around them to protect them from weather and predators. A room in a barn or a shed can be converted to home your chickens. You can buy or build a coop or chicken tractor. (Note… if you live in cold weather areas, chicken tractors generally don’t provide enough warmth for year long housing)
What will you use for a chicken shelter?
- A) BARN B) SHED C) COOP D) CHICKEN TRACTOR OTHER _________________
REMEMBER- a Chicken needs a MINIMUM of around 4 Square Feet per bird if they have access to the outdoors, and 10 square feet per bird if they are confined to their shelter all day.
– USE THIS EQUATION TO FIGURE OUT HOW MANY CHICKENS CAN FIT
______________ _____________ __________________
Length of shelter X Width of shelter = Square Feet of shelter
___________ Divided by 4 (with outdoor access) or 10 (no outdoor access) = SFof Shelter
_____________ Chickens will fit in my shelter.
ROOST – Each chicken will need to roost at night. A large chicken needs about a foot of length on the roost, so 6 chickens would need a 6 foot roost.
How long (feet) a roost can you hang in your shelter? ______ = How many chickens fit
NEST BOXES – You do NOT need a nest box for each chicken. Often you will find hens share a favorite box. Usually 1 box for every 4 hens will suffice.
How many chickens fit in the square feet of your shelter and on your Roost? (see above)
Whichever number is smaller, divide by 4 = __________ = How many nest boxes you need.
FREE RANGE or RUN? Chickens LOVE getting outside, even in cold weather! However, it can be
dangerous to allow them access to the outdoors if predators are around. Hawks from above, coyotes from the forest, neighborhood dogs, and raccoons sneaking around at night are just SOME of the creatures you need to protect your birds from.
If you are not home often, or live where there are more predators it may be best to provide your chickens with a fenced in run. Be sure your fencing is tall enough to keep birds from flying out, and has SMALL SPACING, chicken wire or woven wire designed for chickens is best to keep your birds in.
WATER – When planning for your chickens arrival, be sure to not only consider WHAT your chickens will drink out of, but also the source of water. If your chicken coop is located a couple hundred yards from your home, but your kitchen sink is your only water source, it’s going to be a real drag carrying buckets of water through the snow during the winter!
Possible water sources for your birds include your kitchen sink, a spigot from your home, a stream or pond on your property that they drink directly from or you pump water from. IF none of these options are close to your chickens shelter, you could bury a waterline and frost free hydrant near the chickens shelter.
REMEMBER! Winter will freeze water sources, be sure you have a good plan for winter water! What is the water source I plan on using to water my chickens in the summer? Do I need an alternate source in the winter? If so, what do I plan on using?
Once you have a water source, you need something for the birds to drink out of. You can fill a bucket and let the chickens drink out of it, or better, you could buy a waterer designed for chickens. There are lots of chicken waterers out there, but in the beginning, keep it simple and set up a large bell waterer (3ish gallons) for your chickens. 3 gallons will keep about 10 chickens watered on a hot day no problem.
FEEDING – Each day you will want to give your chickens feed. You will need to store the feed in a rodent and pest proof container. A rubbermaid container, metal or heavy plastic garbage can with a lid, anything that keeps pests out and the feed dry will work.
What will I store my feed in?
When you feed your birds, you can sprinkle the feed on the ground or put it in a chicken feeder. You will waste less feed if you use a feeder designed for chickens. 3 Chickens will eat about a pound of feed per day, so a 5-7 lb hanging feeder will keep 10 birds MORE than enough feed for a day.
How do I need to buy before I get my Chickens?
Feeder Waterer Storage Bin Other __________________
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