New Member- New to Chickens

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Glad you joined us!

X2 on considering using shavings. I've always used shavings in my coop, and they have been very absorbent and effective.
 
Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join us. You've been given some really good advice from the other members. You mentioned getting a rooster. Keep in mind that your Isa Browns are hybrids and won't breed true. Isa Brown is one of many labels under which some hatcheries market their Red Sex Links, which are produced by crossing a red gene rooster with a silver gene hen. The resulting offspring can be sexed by color at hatching (male chicks are whitish, female chicks are reddish), and they are egg laying machines, outlaying either parent breed. It's one of the interesting quirks of hybridization. The downside is that these sex link hybrids will not breed true, and while the offspring may turn out to be decent layers, they will likely not have the mother's lay rate, nor will they be sex linked. Also, the recommended ration of roosters to hens is 1 rooster for every 10 hens, so I would suggest if you get a rooster that you get about 7 more hens to go with him or as he matures, he will be very hard physically on your hens; over-breeding them, biting and plucking the feathers from their necks and backs, battering them, and potentially, seriously injuring them. The only reason you really need a rooster is to fertilize eggs for hatching and one rooster can easily handle ten hens in that regard. I currently have 25 hens and no roosters in my flock, and I get loads of eggs without all the aggression, fights, feather plucking, non-productive mouths to feed, crowing in the middle of the night, and over-breeding and battering of hens that goes along with having roosters (especially too many). Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your flock.
 

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