a good idea gone bad

[7idl]

I wouldn't go and build any boats in your basement if I were you []

[shrapmetal]

i would help if i was a little closer. how many chickens do you have? my current flock consists of about 50 with 20 eggs going in the incubator this weekend. we also have 3 geese and 2 turkeys.

[JohnTRourke]

Zero so far.
We thinking of starting with like 5 to 10 this year, then getting chicks next year.
Coop is 8.8 (should I say palace?) and that should be enough for 16 chickens.

Tell me about chickens, you obviously know a lot.

[pickenup]

What kind of chickens you going to get?
For eggs?
For meat?

[shrapmetal]

my coop is 8x8 too. 30 will go in there to sleep no problem. even more if you build you roosts stagered. i have about 60 chickens right now and have two coops, other one is 12x20, about half of them choose the smaller coop. just make sure they have a big yard with outside shade and you"ll see how little time they will spend in there. what do you want to know? i'm no expert but i have hatched chickens from eggs. we have 20 going into the incubator in the morning.

[Obiwan]

I can run over any time Brian!

[shrapmetal]

i would just start out with chicks. my first mistake was buing adult chickes that were someone elses problem birds. if you buy chicks now they will be laying by spring and feathered out enough to be ok for winter. my chicks from febuary havent started laying yet and should just start in a few weeks. they will just be going into full lay for winter. then you have to give them light to keep laying. my new hatch "if all goes well" will be ready to go for spring and i can let the first group moult. if you are buying for eggs chickens lay the most in the first year, almost everyone gets rid of them after their 2yr because the egg count goes down. i use mcmurry hatchery for our baby chicks but you have to get 25 at a time. if you got 22 hens and 3 roosters you should be good to go as you will lose a few for one reason or another. you don't want less than 6 hens per rooster or they will fight. they seem like they handle 10-12 hens each. i also find if they grow up together they are nicer. they might pick on somebody if it is a different breed we have 7 breeds and the bigger ones run the show.

[Lifesaver]

I wouldn't go and build any boats in your basement if I were you []

You've been watching NCIS too much.