Just starting out (any useful advice would be very nice! :)

[mhoward92]

Im just starting out with this "adventure"

i do have some questions that i know are very basic but could use some logical answers.

1) is there a certain breed that is best for a beginner? (i am looking for layers not roasters)

2)I live in Northern Michigan were it gets cold in the winter and loves to dump snow on us... any advice on a certain type of coop/run?

3) I am a bit confused on if i can put roosters and hens together in a coop/run or if i need to seperate them (Do they fight?) i do know that hens are agressive when "broody".

if you could please post any replys that could answer these questions it would help so much

Thanks, Mitch

 

[Dawn419]

Hi Mitch and Welcome to the forum!

As far as good beginner breeds and which breeds would do best in your area, check out Henderson's handy-dandy chicken chart.

If you just want eggs, you don't need to have a rooster.

We have mild winters here in TN, so I can't really be any help with your coop but I know someone will be along who can help you more!

Dawn

 

[mdbucks]

Quote:
1. http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html#b Hendersons chart- look for cold hardy (I would sujust BUCKEYES but I'm prtial to them) but many other cochins/delawares just scan the chart. Also on chart do you want white eggs?brown eggs? green eggs? (yes they have them sam I am) see Easter Eggers.

2. Your coop will have to be strong enough to hold up the snow, just look at any of your sheds to see how much bracing is required.

3. yes you can have roosters in with hens, but dont have to unless you want fertile eggs. Yes you can eat fertile eggs. Just watch hen/roo ratio usaully 8to10/1 is good if more than 1 roo they may fight over hens(its a guy thing) Never knew hens to be agressive unless they are broody(ready to sit to hatch eggs) then yes they can be agressive(its a girl thing) but I would call it defensive of thier space, not agressive.

Hope this helped

 

[TxChiknRanchers]

pray for peace

 

[mdbucks]

Quote:
thats two I better quit while I'm ahead

 

[nccatnip]

I got alot of help from Mypetchicken.com. They have a survey you fill out with your needs, wants and climate and it determines the best breeds for you. I followed that advice and am very happy. The more I learn about chicken breeds, these are the best for me.

 

[earthnut]

I'm just beginning too, but I've done a lot of reading.

I don't think that you need to worry about certain breeds, thay can all be great pets I think, except maybe the fighting breeds. I've heard that leghorns are high-strung though.

Roos will fight if there's more than one, but just one should get along fine with girls. Though I wonder if you have too few girls if they would be over-mated? As others said, you don't need a roo for eggs, only for chicks.

I don't know of hens being aggressive unless they're broody (meaning they want to hatch the eggs) A lot of layers are bred against broodiness, so you shouldn't have a lot of broodiness in a laying breed. I've collected eggs without any pecks, this is expected. They can be loud when they lay though.

 

[gretchen]

I live in Vermont, so ditto on the endless cold and snow. I think most chickens are pretty hardy but check the sites mentioned before. I have Barred Rocks, Golden Comets, Wyandottes and Araucanas... all good one here, so I'm told.
As for coops, pretty much anything works that won't get too breezy in the winter. I know one woman who uses a shipping crate from a Snow mobile, she just put it on wheels and moves it around her pasture in the summer, then wheels it close to the house in the winter so it's easier to change the water... The water has to be changed almost daily up here all winter since it freezes quickly.
I have a timber framed coop, pretty simple, it's 8'x8' with half used for the chickens and half for my shed. I have a totally secure run (sided, dug down and topped), we live in the city so we've got coons and skunks galore but I do let them have free time in the yard during the day. It seems hard and intimidating at first but if you just order the chicks, you'll get everything set up as you need too.... It took me 3 years of hemming and hawing, then I just placed the order on a whim one day and then I just had to deal... get all the stuff, read up, build a coop and spend a lot of time on this forum begging for help, but now it's done and I love my eggs and the chickens running around my yard...except for the poop on my shoes!

 

[FluffyChickenMama]

Everything I have read says that rose combs do better in colder weather than single combs.. Apparently the single combs freeze easier in the cold.. I know that my roos single comb had been frostbit before I bought him from an elderly lady...

 

[equine chick]

Welcome to the world of chickens. I was new to this this year and am really glad i started this venture. I really like red sex links, delawares and australops they seem to be the friendliest.