2018 Newbie Chat!

[PNW_Peepers]

What breed of chicks are those two?
The first one looks a lot like my bantam Cochin.
It’s wing feathers are coming in with white so I’m pretty sure it’s a mottled Cochin.

The black and white one is a Black Australorp and the buff colored one is a Buff Orpington.

 

[Cbarr00]

Our chicks learned how to get in & out of their house this past Saturday. We got home late and found them all inside the house already. We usually have to put them in by hand every night and shut the door. We free range every evening for about 3-4 hours. Gotta love this warm Texas weather! They know when it's time to let them out. They wait by the door for me. We used to have to corral them back into the coop but now when the sun starts setting they all go back home. They've figured out how to fly up to their higher roosting perch too. Can't wait to finish their larger coop and move them out of the prefab!

 

[BBZZZZTT]

Mine are still spending most of their time inside the coop. I'm attributing it to the abnormally cold spring we're having, it is probably a bit more comfortable for them in the coop.
They will still venture outside if I am out there. Even if they just hear me in the yard they come out to peck around on the ground. Not sure if that is because they feel safer or because usually when I walk out they get worms xD

I still have their chick feeder and waterer in the coop for them, since they aren't outside a whole lot yet. I was hoping to move those out eventually so they just have their outdoor adult feeder and waterer. But with the bad weather I've been worried they will stay on the coop instead of going outside to eat and drink

However, every so often they decide to venture out on their own. And I LOVE looking out my window and seeing those cute little silhouettes poking around the ground. This is exactly why I put the coop within view of the window, even though it would have worked out better with the space in my yard for it to have been behind the garage
I went to change their water this morning and they all came hopping down the ramp to play around at my feet. Brightened my whole day, even though I had to get to work, with a tooth ache, and had to schedule a root canal.

 

[ash_en_em]

Hi there everyone! Also new to chickens, and we got our first 3 from Rural King a month ago to the day. We decided on Black Australorps since we've heard how friendly they are, great egg layers, and they double as meat chickens too (not that we have plans to eat them, but that means they're hearty in the winter months). Rural King said they were all 1-2 weeks old, so I'm guessing our 3 are about 5-6 weeks old now.

Goal is to move them out of the garage and to the coop this week sometime!

This is Norris (Cluck or Chick Norris depending on if it turns out to be a Roo)

This is Amelia Egghart

And this is Hen Solo

 

[Cbarr00]

Mine are still spending most of their time inside the coop. I'm attributing it to the abnormally cold spring we're having, it is probably a bit more comfortable for them in the coop.

We are up and down here. It seems 4 days of the week we are at the 80-90 range then just about every couple days we have a cold front come in and drop us back down to 30s for the lows and 50s for the highs. It drives me crazy. So we really appreciate the warm days!
And to the worm comment: we bought a bag of dried mealworms and I always shake the bag before I give them some. It took a couple weeks but now when they hear the shake they come running. Lol. Even if they are free ranging around the yard.

 

[ash_en_em]

Not here, not that I know of at least.

Some cities say no rooster, but some are ok with it. You'd have top check your city laws.

 

[drewsk]

Today's the day! We've had an abnormally cold/extended winter in Minnesota but our flock of 4 destroyed their brooder 3 weeks ago. For a while they were in the coop with a temporary heat lamp, but once they got too big to fit underneath it the started to burn some of their tail feathers off trying to stay warm. (Why was it 5F in April?!?)
At any rate, the heat lamp has been removed from the coop for a week and the last 2 nights were below 15F so I've been bringing them inside. Today they're going out for the last time, no nights below 20F in the near future and at this point they're over 6 weeks old and able to handle the cold.
I know they like being in the coop/run more than in the house, so I'm just as happy for them as I am for me...

 

[TribeWild]

New chicken newbie here! We just brought home our first chicks yesterday (3 ameraucanas and 3 Rhode Island reds). Got to get our coop built still. It's been so cold and rainy here that we haven't want to go out and start prior to bringing the chicks home, but hopefully we'll have it done in a few weeks. Its an old single stall horse barn that were going to fix and convert to a coop.

 

[BBZZZZTT]

Today's the day! We've had an abnormally cold/extended winter in Minnesota but our flock of 4 destroyed their brooder 3 weeks ago. For a while they were in the coop with a temporary heat lamp, but once they got too big to fit underneath it the started to burn some of their tail feathers off trying to stay warm. (Why was it 5F in April?!?)
At any rate, the heat lamp has been removed from the coop for a week and the last 2 nights were below 15F so I've been bringing them inside. Today they're going out for the last time, no nights below 20F in the near future and at this point they're over 6 weeks old and able to handle the cold.
I know they like being in the coop/run more than in the house, so I'm just as happy for them as I am for me...

Ack I hear ya!
I'm in Wisconsin, so not as cold as where you are but still unseasonably cold!
Shortly after I transitioned my 5 week olds to the coop, it unexpectedly dropped in temp overnight. The forecast said upper 20s for low, but really it dropped to 15!
I woke up and ran outside to get the ice off their waterer. There they were, pecking around and already had broken through the ice to get to water. Good thing I didn't know it was going to drop that low beforehand or I would have been worried over nothing. XD

 

[BBZZZZTT]

Here's progress on the coop I am building for my mom! So far I like it better than my coop XD
Oh well, once mine slowly begins to rot away from the lack of proper roof overhang I can build an even better one