Chook Me!

I want to get 5 chicks and raise them and later get a chicken coop?

I wanna try to convince my parents to let me get the chicks, and I need some tips on raising chickens/ building a coop. Thanks!

Public Comments

1. I have 4 back yard chickens.I love it,their like pets to me. I often refer to the site "backyardchicken.com" for help.It even can help you with diagrams of coops and explains everything you'll need to know about raising chickens in your yard.:))
2. wow! i have 5 chickys and i did the same thing. get like a huge wood table and chicken wire, put it all around the taBLE and make a hole for them to get in and out, to get like chicken food or water in
3. First, do you have plenty of land for the animals.. Do you have any pets like a dog cat or any natural chicken eating predators? What is the winters and summer like where you live,. Do you have a good income.. Chickens are not cheep to raise.. If they are small small when you get them then you will need heat lights and feeder/water trough.. You will need a place to keep them in and all the other varmints out.. and most of all They ARE NOT MENT TO BE PETS and they don't make good ones either.. Oh and you will have to shovel up the chicken &*^%$^^. 5 chicks will be 5 adults and you won't believe the amount of **^&^%* they can make.. good luck!
4. When you are raising chickens, you need confidence. It is very simple to build them a coop. 1. Find some bords. 2. Find some chicken wire. 3. Position the bords on another sturdy bord. 4. I think you will need to drill them together.
5. A "chicken tractor" would be a perfect shelter for a small flock. Its a portable chicken coop on skids or with wheels. They have 2 levels. The lower level doesn't have a floor so the chickens can eat grass and bugs. The upper level is where the roosts and nest boxes are located. You would also keep the feeder and waterer there. I keep 6 hens in a 4'x8' chicken tractor. I move it to a new spot in the yard every 2 days so they can get to a fresh patch of grass and the whole yard gets fertilized. http://www.backyardchickens.com/chicken-coop-tractor.html This page will give you some ideas. Build the coop first, then work on your parents about getting the chickens. If your parents don't give in you can sell the coop. Don't forget to get a reference book about chickens. I like "Storey's Guide To Raising Poultry".
6. you will need alot of time,space,money,food (corn),fence,and wood. Raise the chicks.Then build your own coop (alot cheeper),with the wood then make a fence around it give the chicks enough room to move around freely.Make sure if you want them to either mate (keep them together),or if you want to eat the eggs (seperate the sexes.) make sure you want the responceability before you get them if you really want them prove you are committed and know what you are doing
7. I have a City Biddy Hen House for my hens and I LOVE it. It is a building plan that you can build yourself and will hold up to six full sized hens. I would do a little research about raising chickens before you jump in. They are pretty easy to raise and tons of fun, but you should be prepared. I would probably also get the coop ready before you buy the chicks. It usually only takes a few weeks before the chicks are ready to be out of the warmth of a brooder and into their own little house. My favorite sites are http://www.uBuilderPlans.com where I got my coop plans and they have lots of beginner information and http://www.poultryconnection.com where there is a good chicken forum. Good luck and I happy egg gathering!