I am new to this. I live in cave creek and building a 8 by 10 coop. How many chickens would you suggest and what breed? How high off the ground should there nesting boxes be?
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Thanks everyone. We now have 7 cute little ones. 3 at 4 weeks, 2 at 3 weeks and 2 at one week.
I have an 8X12 coop which currently houses 8 chickens and three turkeys. That's about the limit, because the turkeys are so much bigger. If you are getting them to produce eggs for just your family, two hens will produce about a dozen eggs a week, depending on breed. If you need more eggs than that, add more hens, etc. Welcome to the world of producing your own food!
Farmer Goose
Do Turkey's and chickens do well together in the same coop?
If it's a large enough coop. Turkeys do fine with chickens, but as they mature they take on head-honcho role because of their size. You want enough space for everyone to move around and keep a little distance.
Ok Cool. If our chicken adventure goes well I would like to raise a few Turkey's for Thanksgiving dinner. We now have 6- week old chicks. 3 Barred Rock and 3 Americauna. Our coop is going to be about 6 x12.
I went to the breed index on Backyard Chickens com and researched the qualities that were important to me.
I wanted friendly, quiet, docile and medium to high egg production.
I also wanted a variety and had certain breeds that were attractive to me.
I chose Silver Laced Wyandottes, Barred Rock, Buff Orpington and Light Brahma. SO far, the Brahmas are the dearest to me. Sweet and calm, with pretty white feathers on their toes. The barred rocks seem a bit more aggressive, but maybe its just my 2 girls want to be bossy!
Good Luck!
I'm close to you in Desert Hills. Welcome to the chicken club. I read a lot getting started and I'm sure those with more experience will chime in, but everything I cam across suggested 12 to 18 inches off the coop floor. Too high, and it's stressful on the chicken's body to have to hop up and especially down over and over during the course of its life. Be sure the nesting boxes are lower than your lowest roosting bar, or you'll get chickens trying to roost in the nesting boxes, because they seek the higher place. Since they poop a lot at night, this mucks up your nesting boxes pretty badly, and then your eggs.
If your coop and run are seprate but attached (not an all-in-one unit), I recommend elevating the whole coop about 2 to 2 and a half feet if possible, if you have a wood/plywood floor. It will last longer, keep predators and termites away, and provide a shady place for your chickens to rest while increasing the square footage of your run. Plus, your nesting boxes will be that much higher and easier to get to.
You can go to my page for photos of my coop and run, which we've been very happy with, on the whole. I do wish I had included more ventilation, though, and have plans to open an entire side and add some other openings before the heat hits.
As for number of birds, that depends on if the entire coop/run is 8 x 10, or if that is the coop only and the run is additional.
I have had excellent luck with Rhode Island Reds, Rocks (White and Barred), Black Australorps, and Ameraucanas. My Buff Orpingtons did not do so hot in that awful summer heat wave and we lost a couple despite shade, misters, and ice.
Good luck with launching your chicken adventure! Keep us posted on your progress.
~~Laura
do the chickens have shade only or do you have to add more ways for them to cool down during the summer?
You want a lot of ventilation, but you also want to protect them from the sun and major wind storms. The cold is not an issue here. We put out a baby pool for them to stand in if they want. Many will put out frozen milk jugs in the summer so the birds can cool off with them.
How many chickens depends on the size of your family, or if you are hoping to have excess eggs to share and sell.
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