HI!
You have come to a great place for information about chicken ownership!
I cannot stress enough (from experience, or lack of) that it is extremely important to do your research before venturing into chicken keeping. We thought we were knowledgeable enough . Ha! Don't get me wrong, I love my girls, but I sometimes wonder if I would have had second thoughts if I had known about some of the health issues chickens can have, before we experienced them first hand!
The above advice given, to build bigger than you think you need to, is number one on my list! Chickens without enough room experience health and behavioral issues. Cramped hens will peck and bully each other.
Read up on this site about parasite control, dietary needs, and common illnesses. Chickens do get worms, and can have issues with their crops,( read up on chicken anatomy also, if you don't know what a crop is), they also can develop respiratory illnesses, and have reproductive disorders.
If your chickens will only be livestock, then you will probably just cull the ones with problems, but if they will be pets, you may need to learn to treat the above issues yourself if you don't have access to an avian vet.
We have had our chickens for 3 years now, and have experienced all of the above. This last year has been a rough road. Without this site and guidance from the wonderful people here, we would have lost several of our hens.
So my advice? Read, read, and read some more! THEN, go get your chicks and enjoy!
Welcome to the family!
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