Who's got chickens? Talk a noob into it or out of it.

[Higginbo]

Regarding the cost of materials for a coop, as a couple have mentioned, if you can find some old materials, you don't have to spend a bunch of money. I didn't buy a Single thing for my coop, just used stuff I had around. It's a mobile coop that seats 28, and is way over built. If you just want backyard chickens for an average sized family, with minimal costs, a tractor is the way to go. You can build a simple one of those for very cheap, and probably barely feed them at all. I've got two pullets that are free ranging on a 6000 ft^2 pasture with my goats, I haven't given them grain in weeks but they still give me 2 eggs a day like clockwork.

 

[RockofStrength]

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[Clarity]

The OP indicated that his interest was NOT just to save money, and that consideration has been overlooked. Especially given that this post is in Survival and Disaster Preparedness. Raising chickens, gardening, fruit trees, and dealing with all the travails attendant thereto, contribute to resilience, which is IMHO a crucial attribute for anyone that wants to thrive should SHTF. Most of us spend money on hobbies or interests that don't really pay for themselves. You can argue the economics of raising chickens for money, but if money is not the only goal it is a no-brainer.

Regarding giving chickens access to the garden, I once saw a plan that involved building a run around the garden, then having a portable enclosure that would sit atop one raised bed at a time and that also connected to the run. I thought that would be pretty slick system, as the birds are your "firewall" for bugs entering the garden (by ground anyway), and the birds could enrich and till a raised bed at a time when it is not in use.

 

[cburnworth]

Iam on my second batch of chickens. My first batch coop was a 7x12 area in the winter, I had it buttoned up & a part water heater system. I bought a thermostat that runs between 35-45 degrees, and a waterer with a heater in it. My chickens roamed the yard all day & I would then put them up @ night. They do not require an additional heat source in the winter. This time around I have 9 chickens & 2 ducks, we also had 2 roosters but we got tired of hearing them all the time( 1 of them got my daughter's leg). I am not sure if the ducks will make it through the winter. If your serious about raising chickens the comets are rock solid egg layers, they never missed a day. However if you have the room you will want a rooster & purchase an incubator to start hatching your own chicks. Both flocks unfortunately liked my wife's tomatoes. They would get into the garden and eat the tomatoes and of course the ducks are so big they destroyed my green pepper plants.