Welcome to BYC!
This article I will try to explain all you need to know about this amazing website!
If you are reading this article and you haven’t joined the community yet then come join!
You might be thinking what is Backyard Chickens?
BYC is an amazing community of people who love chickens run by our lovely staff members! You can get expert advice for all kinds of poultry and have fun here. There are lots of fun contests. Your question might be someone else’s question, so why not post? There’s nobody rude here. BYC is filled with nice, amazing, lovely members.
What do you do when you join the community?
The first thing you can do is post a New Member Introduction and let us know about you. How long have you been raising chickens? What is your favorite breed?
Show us a picture of your flock or tell us about your animals! Just make sure not to post private information. You can use your first name or none at all. You can give your city or state but never your home address, phone number, or email.
Afterwards, just have fun. You can post an emergency if you’re having a bird emergency, or just share something fun like your farm or your pets.
When and How to Add Pictures to the Gallery.
You can add pictures to the BYC Gallery anytime you want to share your flock, coop, or animals!
Post your best photos there if you want them saved, entered in a contest, or used later in a thread or article.
The gallery helps other members see your pictures all in one place.
How to add pictures to the Gallery:
Step 1
Step 2
How to Add Videos to a Thread or Post.
If you want to add videos right inside your thread or reply, it’s very simple!
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
How to Add Videos to a Thread or Post.
Adding videos on BYC is a little different from adding photos — you cannot add them directly from your Gallery. Instead, you need to use a video hosting service like YouTube, Vimeo, or Streamable, then embed the video in your post.
Here’s how:
Upload your video to a hosting site (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.).
Copy the video link or embed code from that site.
In your BYC post, click the “Insert Video” button above the text box (it looks like a small film strip).
Paste the video link or embed code into the box.
Click Insert, then Post Reply — your video will appear in your thread.
You can post pictures or videos in your flock threads, coop threads, hatching threads, or even your new member introduction. Pictures and videos help others see what’s going on and make your post more fun to read. Videos are great for showing things that photos cannot, like chicken behavior, hatching, or coop tours.
How to know which forum to post in?
Here’s a guide to when and where to post your threads:
| Forum Name | When to Post |
|---|---|
| Website Information and FAQs | Post here if you have a question about the website itself, how something works, or if you want to report a problem. |
| Official BYC Contests, Etc. | Post here when you want to join an official BYC contest or see what’s currently running. |
| Incubating & Hatching Eggs | Post here when you are hatching chicks or have incubator questions. |
| Hatch-A-Longs | Post here if you are participating in a group hatch or following along with others hatching chicks. |
| Raising Baby Chicks | Post here when your chicks are newly hatched and you need help raising them. |
| Coop & Run – Design, Construction, & Maintenance | Post here when you are building, fixing, or showing your chicken coop or run. |
| Feeding & Watering Your Flock | Post here when you have questions about feed, treats, or water systems. |
| Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries & Cures | Post here when your bird is sick or hurt and you need help fast. |
| Predators and Pests | Post here when something is attacking your flock or you need pest control ideas. |
| Chicken Behaviors and Egglaying | Post here when your chickens are acting strange or you have questions about laying eggs. |
| Managing Your Flock | Post here when you need help adding new birds or dealing with flock issues like roosters. |
| Meat Birds ETC | Post here when you are raising birds for meat or want to learn about meat breeds. |
| Local Chicken Laws & Ordinances | Post here when you want to talk about your city or county’s chicken laws. |
| Pictures & Stories of My Flock | Post here when you just want to share fun stories or pictures of your birds. |
| TudyBOT’s Corner | Post here when you want to chat or interact with BYC’s friendly bot helper. **Requires Premium Feather Member.** |
| What Breed Or Gender Is This? | Post here when you want help identifying your chicken’s breed or if it’s a hen or rooster. |
| General Breed Discussions & FAQ | Post here when you want to learn about breeds or talk about your favorite ones. |
| Exhibition, Genetics, & Breeding to the SOP | Post here when you are breeding chickens for shows or following standards. |
| Chicken Breeders & Hatcheries | Post here when you want to review or ask about breeders or hatcheries. |
| Online Poultry Show | Post here when you want to join a photo show or enter pictures of your birds. |
| New Member Introductions | Post here right after joining to tell everyone a little about yourself. |
| Family Life – Stories, Pictures & Updates | Post here when you want to share about your family or life on the farm. |
| Where am I? Where are you! | Post here when you want to meet people who live near you. |
| Games, Jokes, and Fun! | Post here when you want to play games or share jokes and fun threads. |
| Chickenstocks, Shows, Meet-Ups | Post here when you are announcing or going to a poultry show or meetup. |
| Egg, Chicken, & Other Favorite Recipes | Post here when you want to share or find recipes using eggs or chicken. |
| Random Ramblings | Post here when you want to chat about something that’s not about chickens. |
| Ducks | Post here when you have ducks or duckling questions. |
| Quail | Post here when you are raising quail or want advice on their care. |
| Turkeys | Post here when you have turkeys or need help raising them. |
| Geese | Post here when you are keeping geese or having behavior issues. |
| Peafowl | Post here when you have peacocks or want to learn about them. |
| Guinea Fowl | Post here when you have guineas or need help raising keets. |
| Pheasants and Partridge | Post here when you are raising pheasants or chukars. |
| Pigeons and Doves | Post here when you are keeping or breeding pigeons. |
| Ostriches, Emu, Rheas | Post here when you keep large flightless birds. |
| Ornamental Fowl | Post here when you have swans or other ornamental birds. |
| Caged Birds | Post here when you keep parrots, finches, or other cage birds. |
| Hobbies | Post here when you want to share your other hobbies like baking or crafts. |
| Gardening | Post here when you want to talk about your garden or plants. |
| DIY / Self-Sufficiency | Post here when you want to share building or sustainability ideas. |
| Other Pets & Livestock | Post here when you want to talk about pets like dogs, cats, goats, or horses. |
| Buy ~ Sell ~ Trade | Post here when you want to sell or buy poultry or supplies. |
| Chicken Hatching Eggs | Post here when you are selling or looking for hatching eggs. |
| Chicks 1 Day to 8 Weeks Old | Post here when you are selling or buying baby chicks. |
| Chickens 8 Weeks & Older | Post here when you are rehoming or selling older chickens. |
| Other Poultry, Birds & Hatching Eggs | Post here when you are buying or selling other birds or hatching eggs. |
| Animals In Need of Free Re-Homing | Post here when you are giving away or adopting animals. |
| Everything Else | Post here when your post doesn’t fit another sales category. |
| Swaps | Post here when you want to trade birds or items. |
| Outside Of U.S. - Other Countries Should List BST | Post here when you are outside the U.S. and want to buy/sell. |
| Buy Sell Auction - Archives | Old completed listings are stored here; you don’t need to post here. |
After you’ve looked around and posted a few times, you’ll start to get the hang of it.
Ask questions, share advice, and enjoy being part of this great community.
BYC is a friendly place to learn, laugh, and share.
