Wife Wants Chickens

If you want to let them be in the yard but contained, then make a rolling cage that allows you to move them around the yard so they don't tear up one particular spot if in a permanent structure.

With the moveable cage you let them peck, scratch and eat and their crap will help fertilize the area after you move the cage to another site.

General rule of thumb is 10 sqft of run per chicken from everything I've read. My run is roughly 180 sqft, and I plan to keep 8 chickens initially (mainly because I have a smaller coop). We have 16 pullets/cockerels around 10-11 weeks old right now, but half of those will end up in the freezer in a few months.

I also have some portable electric fencing to move them out of the run and allow them to "free range" without actually roaming all over. I don't have my garden fenced in, and don't want them getting into the garden. BUT, at the end of the season, I can throw the temp fence up around the garden and let them clean it up.

BackYard Chickens

Good sight.

WE have had our chickens 1 year and haven't lost any yet - knock on wood. We have 9 hens & 1 rooster and live in north Louisiana in a rural area - lots of predators. Main predators are fox, coons, coyotes, hawks and dogs . I built a coop that has an attached run and automatic door (solar) that opens from the coop to the run at dawn & closes at dusk. I highly recommend an auto door. Third Coast Craftsman has a Youtube on the coop I built and he also has a website LINK . I changed a few things but pretty much used his plans- the wife loves it. We did a ton of research on YouTube before doing or building anything . If you have the right setup they are really easy and a lot of fun for the grandkids and us. I built a screen door on the run- use hardware cloth on the run and door not chicken wire. We use the OverEZ 12 gallon waterer and OverEZ 50Lb feeder , this really lasts a long time. I use apple cider vinegar in the water and check a few times a week, but it will last a week or 2

Get brown leghorns if you’re planning on free ranging. They lay daily and are damn near impossible to catch.

"taste like chicken" means everything likes to eat chicken, everything.
"chicken hawk", refer to first sentence.
"chicken wire" means their enclosure, has to be small mesh wire, tightly put together. If not, refer to first sentence.
"chicken shite" means there will be a lot of chicken shite, everywhere, everyday.
"chicken eggs" means there will be lots of chicken eggs. It will be fun, at first, giving them to friends and neighbors. You will need more friends because you will have lots of eggs, plenty eggs.

Other than the above, its fun to raise chickens.

A fenced pen is best. You can find an automatic water dispenser at your local farm co-op. They will also have chicken feed. You will need a place for hens to nest. A little shed with some wooden boxes would work. You can find building plans online.