Chicken Newbie here

[DebsChicks]

Hi, everyone!

I'm Deb and though my username is 'DebsChicks', I don't have any chickens....yet.

I've been thinking a lot about it and scouring the internet for all info I can find. That's how I wound up here. I might be a newbie to chickens, but I'm an old hand with forums and know a good one when I see it, so here I am...LOL!

I'm only interested in having chickens for personal use, so I'll only have a small flock (if it can be called that....maybe 'flockette'??) of 3 to 5 birds. Right now money is extremely tight, so researching is all I'm doing for now. I'm itching to get started, though, but I know I have to wait. In the mean time, I can plan my coop layout, where I want to put it, etc. I want to have it ready before I get any chickens.

I'm glad I've found this board, I've already learned a lot and only read through one thread!

 

[Doodle_Doo]

hello and welcome from houston...

 

[1_FnkyFrm]

from East Tennessee....

 

[Tigerjane]

Welcome Deb! This is one active forum - I always end up spending wsy more time on here than I should, trying to keep up with all the new threads. Happy planning

 

[canada-goose]

Welcome!

I hope you'll have a great time here!

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

Hi Deb! from San Diego. Smart move waiting to get your birds until after your coop is built. . . it's gotta be less stressful!
Chickens are a lot of fun so enjoy the whole process. Just keep telling yourself "3-5 birds"!!

 

[DebsChicks]

Quote:
Thanks for all the great welcomes!

Yes, Knock Kneed, it's gonna be hard to limit myself, but as it's only myself that will be taking care of them, I'll have to keep the 'flockette' small, lol. My sister lives with me, but she's disabled and about the only thing she'd be able to do is gather eggs.

I'd never, ever thought about chickens except for food, till I was at my local feed store where I buy my cat food and they had chicks this past spring. Besides being cute as all get-out, they were really pretty! And so the seed was planted. After a bit of research, I realized it could be doable for me, but, as I said, not right away. I asked one of the guys at the store about it and he was very helpful. He recommended Rhode Island Reds as good layers and after more research, I believe those are what I'll go with. I don't want any that are going to be too aggressive or hard to handle (I have to take care of all heavy work like yard care and the garden, plus other things around the house, not to mention I have a full time job, too.). So I think the RIRs will be easy enough to start with.

My coop and run will have to be completely enclosed; too many potential predators here: cats and dogs, hawks and coyotes. Yes, we have coyotes here in NC. A few years back, late one Sat. night, I was online and heard one of my dogs (only have one now, as the others would not stay inside the fence, and I had to give them up; they kept tearing the fence apart!) barking and I could tell by her bark that something was amiss. When I opened the back door to look out, directly across from me, right behind the compost bin (about 50 ft or so) was what at first I thought was a small deer, because of it's large ears. I stepped out onto the enclosed porch and realized it wasn't a deer, nor a large dog; it was a coyote. He, of course, heard me come out, but didn't move at all. We have a security light right next to the porch and he was completely illuminated. I was stunned. It wasn't until I went to go out the outer door that he turned and took off across the hay field next to our lot. I'll never forget that. So, to keep my ladies safe, I'll have to make sure nothing can get to them. I've not seen any snakes or raccoons, but I'm sure they are somewhere around as well.

Again, thanks for all the warm welcomes!

 

[Arwen]

Quote:
Welcome! I just joined yesterday and love it. I agree about knowing a good forum when I see one. Great words!

I have one goose but if I ever get a house with land...look out.