New to Chickens

[shrparatch]

Hello, So my husband and I decided that we want to raise our own chickens. Other than a bad experience with a rooster when I was little...I am pretty clueless! We decided that we want layers and maybe some meat. Did a little research and have decided that we are going to try the New Hampshire Red as our first flock. Placed our order last night and am getting excited for the little baby chicks to arrive. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. My biggest question is how in the world will I know if I have males or females when they arrive?? Really hoping for all females.

 

[matt44644]

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Congrats on your soon to be new chicks!! You will want to stop by an article here in our learning center on raising your new babies for the first 60 days...https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...ks-the-first-60-days-of-raising-baby-chickens

And then look through our learning center. There are lots of helpful articles on how much space your birds will need, how to build the coop, keeping your flock happy, healthy and safe from predators, etc...https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

Make sure to tell your PO that they are coming and on what day. When you get them home, FIRST THING dip all their beaks in the water before they eat. Even withhold food for 15 mins till you know they are all well hydrated. This will help to prevent pasty butt.

If you have any questions along the way, don't be afraid to ask. Enjoy your new babies and welcome to our flock!

 

[Wyandottes7]

Welcome to BYC!

I'm glad you joined the "flock".

Good luck with your future chicks! Did you order pullets, or did you order straight-run chicks? If you ordered pullets, all of the chicks should be female (though sometimes hatcheries make mistakes and you'll end up with one or two males). If you ordered straight run, there should be approximately half females and half males. You won't be able to tell which ones are the females until they are older, around eight weeks or so. At that point, males will usually have developed larger, redder combs.

 

[shrparatch]

I think they were straight run but not 100% sure. I will have to double check. Thanks for the information.

 

[shrparatch]

Thanks for the information. I haven't actually recieved a delivery date from the hatchery yet. As soon as I know I will be sure to let the post office know. I have read the article on baby chicks and am slowly working my way through all of the information available. I like to be as well informed as possible when I take on any new project. Thank you to all who contribute and make this a wonderful site for beginners.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi
Glad you could join the flock! Great advice there for you from TwoCrows and Wyandottes7! Wishing you the very best of luck with your new chcks, raising them from chicks is a very rewarding experience. Watching them grow and develop their own personalities and quirks is great fun.

Hope you enjoy BYC, I am sure you will

 

[AmericanKraut]

Welcome!

Everyone here has been really help for me learning, too.

Here's a short blog article that has some tips, too: Things to Know Before Getting Chickens

Wishing you all the best!

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Excellent info given by Two Crows and Wyandottes7.

Good luck!

 

[BantamLover21]

I'm glad you joined us!

You've been given some excellent advice already! Good luck with your future New Hampshire chicks! The New Hampshire is a wonderful, productive breed.