[Ag-eq] chickens and eggs

[Nella Foster]

Susan:

Have you heard of Cinnamon Queens and Golden Comet chickens?

I spoke with a local woman who raises them and she says they do well with the heat here.  They lay brown eggs and are a medium sized chicken.  I've been told the large heavy bodied chickens don't handle the heat well.  She has some for sale, so as soon as I finish the Chicken enclosure I think I'll get some.

A neighbor has a chain link dog run for sale, which I'm going to buy.  I plan on putting shade cloth over the top so they can't get out and to provide sun protection.  I have a huge wooden dog house, which my dogs never use that I plan on using for a coop.  Mike is going to put it on legs so the chickens can get under it and it will be easier for me to clean it and get the eggs.  He's also going to put a door on the side so I can open it up.  Do you think this will be an o.k. setup?

How many square feet do you think each chicken should have?

Also how big do you think the nest boxes should be?

Have you ever had problems with snakes or rats?

I've been reading on line and it warns about snakes and rats.  I know the snakes will eat the eggs and baby chicks.  I don't know if the rats go after the eggs and chickens or the grain.

I would appreciate any advice on how to make my setup good for the chickens and easy for me to use.

I found a good website; www.backyardchickens.com

Nella