# Chicken coops for newbs? Any advice? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 4, 2013, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970 "2013-03-04T03:36:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970/21 "2013-03-05T15:10:16Z")
What do you guys do with the eggs? I put them in the fridge once or twice a day. Then before I give them to people I wash them off under lukewarm water with a semi scratchy sponge. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970/22 "2013-03-05T15:26:34Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > What do you guys do with the eggs? I put them in the fridge once or twice a day. Then before I give them to people I wash them off under lukewarm water with a semi scratchy sponge. We do not refrigerate our eggs (though we do refrigerate store bought). My gf keeps the coop clean and the nests filled with clean straw. We do not wash our eggs. Maybe once a week we get one that is dirty and that one will go to the dogs. ETA: we eat raw eggs fairly often (in smoothies primarily). Never a problem. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970/23 "2013-03-05T16:51:42Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > We do not refrigerate our eggs (though we do refrigerate store bought). My gf keeps the coop clean and the nests filled with clean straw. We do not wash our eggs. Maybe once a week we get one that is dirty and that one will go to the dogs. > > ETA: we eat raw eggs fairly often (in smoothies primarily). Never a problem. Yeah I keep clean straw too, but I think the poop problem varies based on the chickens. The eggs come out of the same hole so it seems inevitable that sometimes eggs have poop on them. ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970/24 "2013-03-05T17:15:40Z")
I’ve been told that chicken poop is the most foul-smelling farmyard animal poop that there is. Is that true? I ask not only for my own edification, but also because the OP might find the answer useful in helping to make a decision. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970/25 "2013-03-05T17:32:30Z")
> [@Spiff](#): > > I’ve been told that chicken poop is the most foul-smelling farmyard animal poop that there is. > > Is that true? No, that would be pigshit. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970/26 "2013-03-05T17:33:50Z")
> [@Spiff](#): > > I’ve been told that chicken poop is the most foul-smelling farmyard animal poop that there is. > > Is that true? > > I ask not only for my own edification, but also because the OP might find the answer useful in helping to make a decision. It is not bad to me. I’d rate it 5/10 on the stink scale. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970/27 "2013-03-05T18:42:39Z")
One tip: never leave eggs in the coop or nest too long. If they get broke theres a good chance one of the chickens will eat it. Then they’ll start deliberately pecking at the egg or swatting it with their claws. Once they start eating eggs it’s nearly impossible to stop. Even worse, they can teach the behavior to other chickens in the pen. Catching the offender and adopting to a good home is a solution. Or have fried chicken for lunch. 😛 It’s a learned behavior. If they never start then you’ll never have a problem. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970/28 "2013-03-05T18:48:56Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > One tip: never leave eggs in the coop or nest too long. If they get broke theres a good chance one of the chickens will eat it. Then they’ll start deliberately pecking at the egg or swatting it with their claws. Once they start eating eggs it’s nearly impossible to stop. Even worse, they can teach the behavior to other chickens in the pen. Catching the offender and adopting to a good home is a solution. Or have fried chicken for lunch. 😛 > > It’s a learned behavior. If they never start then you’ll never have a problem. I know someone who raises chickens and she takes the eggs she doesn’t eat and tosses them in the yard for the chickens to eat. Which is a circuitous lead in to this question: How many eggs do you get per hen per week typically? It’s a big week if we go through a dozen. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970/29 "2013-03-05T19:01:48Z")
It may be a bigger problem in the commercial barns. My uncle owned his operation and sold the eggs back to the hatchery. He was in the barns gathering eggs 4 times a day. It’s easier grading and boxing up smaller batches. He averaged just under 5,000 hatching eggs a day with 10,000 hens. Every other day was typical laying for the breed he had. Eggs get broke quickly with that many hens running in the pens. The rigorous 4 times a day schedule helped avoid a lot of breakage. I used to watch chickens swat at eggs or peck at them to beak the shell. Then gobble down the white and yolk. Fascinating stuff for a 11 year old. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970/30 "2013-03-05T19:09:51Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > It is not bad to me. I’d rate it 5/10 on the stink scale. Okay, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970/31 "2013-03-05T19:41:07Z")
> [@Spiff](#): > > I’ve been told that chicken poop is the most foul-smelling farmyard animal poop that there is. > > Is that true? > > I ask not only for my own edification, but also because the OP might find the answer useful in helping to make a decision. It isn’t bad at all if you keep plenty of clean shavings in the coop. I was surprised how little smell there was when we first started keeping hens. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970/32 "2013-03-05T19:46:00Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > It isn’t bad at all if you keep plenty of clean shavings in the coop. I was surprised how little smell there was when we first started keeping hens. I would give our hen’s shit a 1-2/10, our horses a 4/10, our dogs a 6-8/10. We have no pigs, but I’ve encountered pigshit and would give it a solid 11. (That said, neglected chicken shit that builds up can create an ammonia smell that could even be toxic) ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970/33 "2013-03-05T23:08:15Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > How many eggs do you get per hen per week typically? It’s a big week if we go through a dozen. Depends on the age of the hens and time of year. The first year or so ours were laying, we were getting 6/week/chicken. (We were very popular with the neighbors because we gave away so many eggs.) Over this past winter it slowed down to about 3/week/chicken, and now it’s starting to pick back up a little. Of course, our chickens have a translucent roof, so if there’s any natural light to be gotten, they get it. As for the OP, backyardchickens.com is an awesome resource for the newbie chicken owner. I wouldn’t recommend raising chicks in the spring and then eating them in the fall and so forth, unless your kids won’t be traumatized by eating their pets, you’re awfully fond of stewing hens, and you don’t mind those being the most expensive stewing hens you’ve ever eaten. You see, the broiler/fryers we get at the grocery store slaughtered at about 2 months. Chickens don’t even _start_ laying eggs till they’re about 4 months old, so you’re going to be looking at larger, tougher birds than you’re used to eating. They’re not really going to be appropriate for much besides soup/stew/pot pie. Also, most estimates I’ve seen say it takes about 20-30 pounds of feed to get a chicken to point of lay, not to mention the bedding, the sheer labor involved in keeping the little chicks clean (like any other animal, they’re a lot more work when they’re babies.) Oh, and get your coop at least started BEFORE you get your chicks. You wouldn’t believe how fast the little beggars will grow, or how uncannily the rainfall can synch itself to your time off. You don’t want to have to build a chicken corral in your garage because they simply can’t stay in the house any longer but the &&^%$#^\* coop \*still \*isn’t finished because it won’t quit pissing the rain. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970/34 "2013-03-05T23:15:40Z")
Don’t consider your coop fully enclosed unless you have buried some chicken wire underneath. We found out the hard way that animals will burrow under the coop, come up through a tunnel and eat your chickens. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970/35 "2013-03-06T00:48:55Z")
Re: raccoons. There are problems with rabid raccoons in PA. I contacted the Game Commission here and got permission to trap/kill raccoons on our property. (In reality I trap and release far away, but hey) We get six eggs a hen spring to fall. Zero eggs all winter. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970/36 "2013-03-06T02:12:57Z")
I misread the thread title as, > [@](#): > > “Chicken coops for _newts_?” And I thought to myself, “Why would anyone put a newt in a chicken coop?” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970/37 "2013-03-06T06:42:40Z")
Thanks all. I’m swamped at work but will be back this weekend to read through. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970/38 "2013-03-06T13:10:43Z")
How many eggs you get probably depends on a lot of different factors. Here in Virginia my 4 chickens lay from 1 to 3 eggs a day in the winter and 3 to 4 in warmer weather. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970/39 "2013-03-17T03:37:30Z")
3 golden sex links, 1 black sex link and 2 ameraucuna chicks are in the mud room even as I type this. No chicken coop yet of course. Been looking at plans. Decided we want a raised hen house, and a fenced in area underneath all in one. Will have a bigger chicken run off of the contained unit. Got a few plans as well as a craig’s list link to a Crazy Chicken Man that has some nice looking photos of stuff but about $600 for what we want. (That’s pretty high but I haven’t tried to price out something similar at home depot and I have a pitiful amount of tools - Sawzall, hammer and an electric drill). ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2013, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970/40 "2013-03-17T07:10:27Z")
> [@](#): > > …even if you don’t slaughter and eat them when they’ve stopped laying… ["I don’t want to be a pie. I don’t like gravy. "](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120630/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-coops-for-newbs-any-advice/651970.md?page=3)