New to Chickens

Date sort Score sort
L

lucydne

Chirping
May 5, 2023
14
59
51
Hello to all, so excited to be here. I am very new to chickens we live in rural Texas and always wanted chickens because both of my grandmothers had these great chicken houses and so I grew up around them. My husband wouldn't ever let me have them so I just asked him a couple of weeks ago, do you know what I want for my birthday is a chicken coop and chickens and at first he was kinda unsure then I explained that he had his hobbies and I should have mine. So now we are going this weekend to look for a chicken coop and we have already built and levedled a pad for a chicken coop. Alot of my friends have chickens, so I can ask them for advice. So glad to be here.
 
lucydne said:
Hello to all, so excited to be here. I am very new to chickens we live in rural Texas and always wanted chickens because both of my grandmothers had these great chicken houses and so I grew up around them. My husband wouldn't ever let me have them so I just asked him a couple of weeks ago, do you know what I want for my birthday is a chicken coop and chickens and at first he was kinda unsure then I explained that he had his hobbies and I should have mine. So now we are going this weekend to look for a chicken coop and we have already built and levedled a pad for a chicken coop. Alot of my friends have chickens, so I can ask them for advice. So glad to be here.
Click to expand...
Welcome to BYC!!
 
lucydne said:
Hello to all, so excited to be here. I am very new to chickens we live in rural Texas and always wanted chickens because both of my grandmothers had these great chicken houses and so I grew up around them. My husband wouldn't ever let me have them so I just asked him a couple of weeks ago, do you know what I want for my birthday is a chicken coop and chickens and at first he was kinda unsure then I explained that he had his hobbies and I should have mine. So now we are going this weekend to look for a chicken coop and we have already built and levedled a pad for a chicken coop. Alot of my friends have chickens, so I can ask them for advice. So glad to be here.
Click to expand...
Awesome! I’m so happy for you ! Welcome to BYC!
 
Glad to meet you, Lucy, and welcome to BYC. Congratulations on your upcoming chickens, and good on you!

You may want to hire a local workman to create a special made coop and run for your birds.Too many ready-made coops are too small for the number of hens they advertise they will accommodate. I made the mistake of buying a coop advertised to hold 6 chickens. Once it was here, I began to see that it was just too small - it might hold 2 standard size hens! I ended up finding a right sized coop, never used, on Craigslist locally. I hope you can find something you like. Look at #3a below for info on coop design and size. And visit our coops design forum where members post images and sometimes plans for coops they have built. Also, the article below on Ventilation (#3) links to a number of coop designs, organized by climate.

Here are my favorite beginning articles that helped me as a newbie. All articles are short, have illustrations, and reviews, which are often worth looking at for the comments.

1. Intro to chicken keeping

2. Common mistakes & how to fix them

3. Ventilation (important to chicken health), with helpful links to coop designs organized by climate (because what is just right for my New England hens won't work for my brother's Arizona chickens)

3(a). Farmers Almanac on Building Coops (Includes size requirements!) Allowing plenty of space for chickens is really important because, even as chicks, they will start pecking each other or plucking their own feathers, or become unhealthy if they are overcrowded. Here is a link to Colorado State Extension's publication on space and temperature requirements for chicks as they age.

4. Predator protection for new & existing coops

5. Dealing with a muddy coop and run

6. Gardening for chickens

7. Picking the right frickin' chicken AND chicken shopping tips

8. BYC Lists of Chicken Ailments and Cures

To look for articles on your own:

A. Use the SEARCH button, but use the Advanced Search choice, and select ARTICLES at the top of the box. Just enter your keyword(s) and scroll through your results!

B. I find it helpful to notice the rating and reviews. All articles are by BYC members, and all the reviews/ratings are as well. The ratings help a newbie like me sort the most useful and reliable articles.

C. You can bookmark the articles or posts you think you want to refer to again using that bookmark icon at the top of articles or posts. You can find them again by clicking on your own avatar and looking at the list of bookmarks you have built up!

Notes about where to put a coop:

1. As far as you can, put a coop and run on high ground, that drains well, so you won't have so much muddy coop problems. Chickens need to be dry, dry, dry.

2. As far as you can, put a coop with the ventilation lined up with your prevailing breezes, and away from the direction of your storms. If you are not sure of these (who is these days?), check with your local National Weather Service website.

3. As far as you can, arrange for some sort of shade over your coop and run. Preferably deciduous so the girls will enjoy winter sun, but summer shade.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom