It is just a short walk from our house to the pond so that isn't much of a factor. I mostly want a secure pen/house for them because we do have a lot of predators in the area plus I would like to be able to collect their eggs without too much of an Easter egg hunt. We have an old dog kennel we...
I am hoping I can get some advice on the best place to build a duck coop. I have a natural 1 acre pond on my property and I was thinking that I would place it there so that the ducks could spend the day swimming and foraging. I am a little worried tho because it is wooded around the pond and we...
Has anyone ordered chicks or hatching eggs from chickenhousesplus.com? They have two specials on hatching eggs that I'm really interested in. They are offering a barnyard mix of Rhode Island Reds, Golden Comets, Barred Rocks, Cuckoo Marans or Americanas, two dozen for $29.97. They also have a...
Would anyone like to split an order of assorted pullets from MPC? They are having a special, 25 standard heavy breed pullets for $47.50 with free shipping. This seems like a pretty good deal to me but I don't need 25, I'm only looking to keep 10-12. I live in the Shenandoah Valley so I'd be...
MPC is having a sale. 25 female chick assortment of heavy breeds for $47.50 including shipping. I'm so tempted to get it but the coop I'm building will only house 13 at most. Anyone near northern VA want to split an order?
Thanks so much! This has been really helpful. I'm glad to hear that getting an assortment is as much fun as I thought it would be. I'm still very tempted to go with Sandhill just because they do have the list and I haven't found another hatchery that does this. The price works out to $1 per...
I have been researching assortment packages from several of the major mail-order hatcheries and I'm having trouble deciding which to settle on. I would really like a diverse flock and don't mind surprises. I'm liking the variety offered by Sandhill Preservation but I don't think I want to order...
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Yikes! That is really dangerous and may even be illegal in your area. I have no problems with raccoons, I really love wildlife to be honest, but pretty soon your neighbor is going to have an infestation. Just think, if one of those raccoons gets rabies, they all will get it eventually...
I haven't built a coop yet since I'm still trying to decide how many to get. Maybe the better way to go is to see how big of a coop my husband will agree to build me and go from there.
The more research I do into the surprise assortments the more excited I get! I think that it sounds like a lot...
If you have a garden then you can let the chickens work pest control (thus avoiding pesticides) and use their droppings in your compost heap for fertilizer. That way they are still "earning their keep" even when the egg production slows down.
And l like the idea of using the chickens to reduce...
I have two questions about starting my first flock. First, I am not sure how many chickens to start with. Second, I am very interested in the assorted/surprise orders offered by several of the online hatcheries; is this recommended for first time chicken owners?
I live on a farm in...
So will you be living on campus in a dorm, moving, or commuting? If you are going away then you could hire someone to care for your chickens through the week and then you could come back on weekends. They may even do it at a reduced rate if they get to keep some of the eggs. Of course, you will...
Thank you all! I am very excited to get started with chickens. I am so full of questions right now but I know that this forum will be an invaluable resource. Reading the posts her makes me want to go order some chicks right away (even though my husband would NOT be happy)
Hi, I'm very new to keeping chickens. So new, in fact, that I don't have any chickens or a coop yet. I just fulfilled my childhood dream of living on a farm, however, so I'm hoping that the chickens wont be far behind. Right now I am a newly-wed college graduate and the proud "mom" to two dogs...