Diavolicchio
Contemplation Leave
I've never had chickens before and have begun the process of educating myself about the basics by picking up a couple books on the subject. I wanted to ask a few of you chicken experts some basic questions, if you'd be willing to take a couple of minutes to respond.
I'm looking at getting 5 kinds of chickens, 13 of each kind (12 hens and 1 rooster) for a total of 65 chickens.
1) What size chicken coop would I need to accommodate this many chickens?
2) What size fenced-in yard space should I be allocating to all 65 chickens to be able to get their proper exercise and not be overly cramped? (I want to establish a permanent area and not use a floatable/movable one)
3) Should I be anticipating any problems with having 5 roosters (aside from the noise in the morning) ?
4) What kind of egg production in a given week (I understand this depends a bit on the variety of hens, living conditions, nutrition, etc.) could I expect from 60 hens?
5) I read somewhere that feeding your chickens calendula petals as part of their diet will give them beautifully bright orange yolks. Is this true, and is there anyone in this forum who's doing that?
6) Should I be concerned here in Maine (Zone 5 with winter temps that could briefly go as low as -20F on a rare occasion) with chickens freezing to death in the chicken coop in the dead of winter? How does one going about heating the coop in the winter to prevent this?
7) How much time should I plan on spending in a given week to properly take care of this many chickens?
8) I don't know much yet about the general temperaments of the different varieties of chickens, but I'm particularly intrigued with the five varieties of chickens I've chosen (mostly for egg color.) Am I up against any major nightmares waiting to happen if I've got the following five varieties all living together?
* Buff Ameraucana
* Buff Cochin
* Buff Orpington
* Cuckoo Maran
* Welsummer
(All Stardards; No Bantams)
Thanks so much for helping me lessen my chicken learning curve. I really appreciate it!
Buk-Buk-Buk . . . . Buh-GAWWWWWWWWWK!
John
I'm looking at getting 5 kinds of chickens, 13 of each kind (12 hens and 1 rooster) for a total of 65 chickens.
1) What size chicken coop would I need to accommodate this many chickens?
2) What size fenced-in yard space should I be allocating to all 65 chickens to be able to get their proper exercise and not be overly cramped? (I want to establish a permanent area and not use a floatable/movable one)
3) Should I be anticipating any problems with having 5 roosters (aside from the noise in the morning) ?
4) What kind of egg production in a given week (I understand this depends a bit on the variety of hens, living conditions, nutrition, etc.) could I expect from 60 hens?
5) I read somewhere that feeding your chickens calendula petals as part of their diet will give them beautifully bright orange yolks. Is this true, and is there anyone in this forum who's doing that?
6) Should I be concerned here in Maine (Zone 5 with winter temps that could briefly go as low as -20F on a rare occasion) with chickens freezing to death in the chicken coop in the dead of winter? How does one going about heating the coop in the winter to prevent this?
7) How much time should I plan on spending in a given week to properly take care of this many chickens?
8) I don't know much yet about the general temperaments of the different varieties of chickens, but I'm particularly intrigued with the five varieties of chickens I've chosen (mostly for egg color.) Am I up against any major nightmares waiting to happen if I've got the following five varieties all living together?
* Buff Ameraucana
* Buff Cochin
* Buff Orpington
* Cuckoo Maran
* Welsummer
(All Stardards; No Bantams)
Thanks so much for helping me lessen my chicken learning curve. I really appreciate it!
Buk-Buk-Buk . . . . Buh-GAWWWWWWWWWK!
John