- Jan 1, 2016
- 10
- 17
- 89
Hello BYC,
After 7 years of debating and lurking, and reading "Raising Chickens for Dummies" I finally took the plunge into backyard chicken keeping. I've second-guessed absolutely everything from coop design, to brooder setup, to what type of feeder and waterer to put in. Do I line the run with shavings? Do I do the deep litter method? How do I keep the dang poop off the Silkies' butt? Every day there is a new question, and I'm so grateful to have this forum to run to when I don't know what to do.
I've started with this small flock of 4 Silkies (just for fun and cuz they're so darn cute), 2 Barred Plymouth Rock, 2 Black Australorps, and 2 Red Star. The Silkies are around 13 weeks old, the Layers are about 8 weeks old.
1 day after bringing my Silkies home they all developed Coccidiosis. I had no idea what that was... cue anxiety attack. I'm one day in and I'm already doing it wrong!! Thankfully their wonderful breeder assured me everything was fine and to get some Corrid. It took several days to clear up. My first week with chicks was rather stressful as I tried to navigate all the newness. I was certain that my new chicken-keeping adventure was going to be constant anxiety. Here I am, several months in, and so far everyone has survived.
I'm looking forward to our first eggs around January, and watching these beauties grow up. They sure are fun to watch.
Every day is an adventure.
After 7 years of debating and lurking, and reading "Raising Chickens for Dummies" I finally took the plunge into backyard chicken keeping. I've second-guessed absolutely everything from coop design, to brooder setup, to what type of feeder and waterer to put in. Do I line the run with shavings? Do I do the deep litter method? How do I keep the dang poop off the Silkies' butt? Every day there is a new question, and I'm so grateful to have this forum to run to when I don't know what to do.
I've started with this small flock of 4 Silkies (just for fun and cuz they're so darn cute), 2 Barred Plymouth Rock, 2 Black Australorps, and 2 Red Star. The Silkies are around 13 weeks old, the Layers are about 8 weeks old.
1 day after bringing my Silkies home they all developed Coccidiosis. I had no idea what that was... cue anxiety attack. I'm one day in and I'm already doing it wrong!! Thankfully their wonderful breeder assured me everything was fine and to get some Corrid. It took several days to clear up. My first week with chicks was rather stressful as I tried to navigate all the newness. I was certain that my new chicken-keeping adventure was going to be constant anxiety. Here I am, several months in, and so far everyone has survived.
I'm looking forward to our first eggs around January, and watching these beauties grow up. They sure are fun to watch.
Every day is an adventure.
Enjoy your new babies! ❤
