h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

We're definitely going to get chickens! I'm at the latter end of the researching what I need to do to convert the not-a-greenhouse to a coop. The cool thing about the research is that, the more I read, the less I actually need to so for the conversion At least, until I started the wandering-around-looking-at-what-we-have-now bit of the research, and discovered that half of the north wall is rotten. How am I so sure the wood's rotten? Screwdrivers shouldn't go 6 inches into a 1 inch board.

I've found a great place to research and ask questions about chicken care. Some of the writing's h2g2-worthy, though the articles don't seem to be edited. (One informative and otherwise well-written article had me cringing every time the author wrote "dominate" instead of "dominant" (Every. Single. Instance.). As it was about pecking order, there was a lot of cringing going on!)

I thought you guys would get a kick out of this one: http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-behavior-the-ignorant-gal-s-guide-to-things-no-sane-person-would-tell-you-about-chickens #9 inspired a read aloud--unfortunately to someone absorbed in a video game who didn't even quite get the gist, much less the phrasing, which was the funny bit.

Question: If you do get chickens, will you sell what the hens provide, or is this strictly for putting food on your own table? Also, are there local predators you ought to be mindful of? If one of the walls is too rotten to resist a screwdriver, then it might also not stand up to the resident foxes, raccoons, or what have you.

We're going to produce eggs for us, and sell any surplus. There are raccoons, probably hawks, and cats and dogs. Since the building sits on a cement slab, we don't have to worry about anything digging its way in--and of course we're replacing the rotten boards. Since we're not allowed to keep a rooster, we won't be breeding. We're planning on getting a couple of hens once the coop is finished, including a silkie, which is a breed known for hatching out anything you want to place under her. Then, in the spring, we'll order some eggs and have our silkie hatch and raise the chicks--no incubator or brooder needed

Actually, research done tonight is pointing me towards buying day old chicks and having the silkie adopt them.

Pictures of the coop conversion will likely be at http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/811612/converting-a-not-a-greenhouse-to-a-chicken-coop You may recognize the name of the OP

Got nice and sweaty and dirty yesterday, pulling out boards and putting new ones in. I'm not done yet, but it's too warm today and people are coming over tonight, so I can't get all icky again.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/811612/converting-a-not-a-greenhouse-to-a-chicken-coop/10#post_11833501 for what I've done so far (also repotted and moved the tomatoes--had to do the eggplants today, because I'd run out of potting soil.)

I've never kept chickens myself, though I have occasionally needed to babysit chicken runs when their owners were absent.

My grandma used to raise chickens when she was still living on the farm, would purchase flats of 100 day old chicks at a time, give them a good feed in the house and a careful checking over for problems the day of the purchase before introducing them into the chicken run the following morning.

Though chickens will accept day old chicks introduced into the run well, introducing a new rooster is always a disaster if there's already one in the run.

Free range chickens, allowed to roam and forage at will, are a garden disaster since they'll pluck up and eat any green sprout and scratch fresh seed out of the ground.

In a free range habitat, they're primarily grazers, eating the same kinds of things sheep and goats will.

Raccoons and even coyotes will climb a chain link fence to get at the chickens.

(Zoo wolves and coyotes have been reported to climb 40 foot chain link fences to escape.)

Once I had to put a nylon net tent over a chicken run to prevent the coyotes from climbing in.

I've definitely made progress since my last update on here!

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/811612/converting-a-not-a-greenhouse-to-a-chicken-coop/10 and onward, if you're interested. And even if you're not

Said so several places, but not here--we got three hens last weekend, a white rock I named Omelet, a silver laced wyandotte I named Frittata, and a gold laced wyandotte I named Curry. Frittata and Curry are nearly old enough to start laying (combs are bigger and redder this week than last--a sign of approaching sexual maturity) and Omelet is a bit older--she's finishing up a molt, which they don't do until they are at least a year old. You can see the finished coop (except for slapping some paint on the outside of the few bare boards) by following that link up there ^

After a couple of months using a handsaw, drill, crowbar, hammer, and a blowtorch, I hurt myself for the first time this afternoon while folding a ladder. I knew there was a reason I hated ladders...