new owner

I have a 8 1/2 week old Wellbar hen that “high steps” when she walks and has one metatarsal pad that is ever so slightly larger. There are no lesions that I can find. She walks but is very quick to sit, choosing your sit for her water and for her food. She seems more “svelt” than our other...

Two days ago I got my first chickens. They came from family friends as they have plenty of chickens and had no problem letting me take a few. Two of the hens seem to be very strong and healthy. They scratch, eat, hop around, dust bathe, roost, etc. I have yet to see an egg, but I’m assuming...

Hi everyone, Just want to introduce myself a bit. Name is Josh I live in Rhode Island and for Mother's Day my family is deciding to surprise my mother with chicks and to start a small family homestead. We have 3 RI Reds, 2 Barred Rocks, 1 Buff Orpington, and 2 Easter Eggers. We are picking the...

Good morning, everyone! I’m a first time chick mama. I will be picking up my baby chicks (barred Plymouth rock, Easter egger, olive egger, and French copper maran) next week and I’m very excited! My dad had chickens so i have been around chickens before but I’ve never raised baby chicks. I love...

I am brand new to raising chickens and I am debating on how to manage them...we have about an acre of unfenced land and a coop that's been given to us by friends. I'd like to let them out, but I have some concerns: 1.) We live pretty close to a road that sees a decent amount of traffic. 2.) I...

Hi everyone, Nice to virtually meet you all! 6 weeks ago my husband and I rescued 3 ex-battery hens here in the West Midlands 🇬🇧 - our first time homing some very lovely ladies for their retirement years! They looked a sight when we picked them up from the British Hen Welfare Trust. Poor...

I am of a new owner at raising ducks, and I got two Pekin ducks, one female, and one male. Currently, it is fall where I am living. In the last three days I went to check on the ducks I found eggs along the side of their bath water tube and was wondering if this was normal? I would think she...

I am a new owner of two pekin ducks, a male, and a female. As they grow I want to let them roam in the grass, but have seen videos of them lifting off the ground a bit, and my ducks are not as tamed as I didn't get them as babies. I have also seen videos of feather trimming of ducks but was...

Hello all. I grew up raising chickens on acreage but now live in the suburbs on 1/5 acre. The laws recently changed and we are allowed 1 chicken per 1000 sq ft of property. My mom has given us her last 2 hens, 1 Ameracauna (Henny Penny) who is about 7 years old and 1 Rhode Island Red (Rose) who...

I have three 14 1/2 week old Nigerian Dwarf little ladies. I give them one cup of a certain a day. I feel like it's not enough. I'm new to the game so I could be wrong. The mix consists of: grain, sweet feed and sunflower seeds. I give them treats of sweet potatoes and carrots. Also, hay lots...

Hello, all! My family and I are new to chickens, and we're trying to figure out when to move them to the coop. We have three chickens that we got through a farm store, so while we know roughly how old they are, we don't know for sure. One (a Delaware) is quite large (possibly too large for the...

Hello! I am looking to become a chicken owner myself. (I have siblings who own some) and I was wondering what breeds would be best! I had chickens when I was a kid but I remmeber them being very aggressive towards eachother. I am looking to get 6-10 hens who will be able to free range a little...

Hello! I'm Megan. I'll be the proud new owner of 15 Brahma chicks this week. I've never owned chickens so I'm a bit nervous. They were vaccinated for Merk and something else at the hatchery (Murray McMurray) and I have Naturesmart organic chick starter and Nutridense ready for them. I know about...

Hey all! My name is Gabbie and I am located in Alabama. My husband and I recently became the proud owners of 6 sweet little chicks. We have two Rhode Island Reds, two Golden Comets, and two Isa Browns. I am excited to see where these little ones take us! We have already used this site...

Hi all! I am a new chick owner. We have six chicks. One of mine today started holding her leg up and limping on it. She also tends to lay it out to the side when she is laying down. I’m not positive how old she is. I’m guessing around a week or so old. It is either one of my golden comets or...

Hello friends! I am a new home owner and am lucky enough to have a beautiful big yard here in Portland, Oregon. I am excited to get a small flock (3-4) of hens for egg supply + new family pets, most likely Orphington, Austrolorp, maybe an Americaunah, maybe a Sussex? We are settled and have a...

I'm in NKY & looking into buying some Black Australorp female chicks come this fall. I'd want to go pick them up -- everything that comes through out USPS smells like heavy perfume/detergent. I don't wanna expose chicks to that. blah. Would prefer that the laying hens were fed non-GMO & would be...

Hi everyone! I've been following BYC for months as my go-to look up for questions we have since getting our first chickens in August! We live in Abita Springs, Louisiana (about an hour outside of New Orleans). We are new to chickens and got two chicks in August. Beignet is a Buff Orpington and...

Hello! Sorry if this is a little lengthy, I just want to include as many helpful details as I can, thank you! So after bringing my first ever hens home, I noticed one of them was coughing/sneezing a little. I decided to leave her with the flock overnight to not add anymore stress that day, and...