Advice on chickens

[MaryMaly]

Hi Everyone, Looking for advice on chickens for my in-laws to start (and also possibly myself one day)

(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
Yes. New to chickens. I supported a chicken policy for our suburban town and have wanted to own chickens for a while. My in-laws live in a rural area and we're thinking of getting them a chicken coop for Christmas.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
0
(3) What breeds do you have?
n/a
(4) How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com?
google
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
music, knitting, hand-spinning, weaving

 

[Allie Grace Sanders]

Well, square footage is important with chickens. There is a lot of controversy on how much each chicken needs. I would say 3 or 4 square foot would do nicely.

Note: If you plan on buying a coop that is pre-built, get about half of the recommend amount of chickens. If you don't they will be overly crowded and they can start to canablize each other.

 

[rjohns39]

Hi Mary and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us

 

[007Sean]

Howdy Happy to have you join the family. Enjoy your time here!

 

[ChickenGirl555]

Hello!!
Please take @Allie Grace Sanders advice on the coop! I hope you start getting interested in chickens for they are wonderful, social birds! I'd start small and work your way up in chicken numbers, always good to start easy!

 

[Bridger Davis]

Hi there! I'm Bridger and it's good to have you here! You'll find that the byc members are like family! Feel free to ask me questions about chickens or ducks or if you want pro help, ask the experts.... Ex. Chickens really, Miss Lydia, Drumstick Diva, etc. You'll get to know them all!!

 

[Hope Hughes]

Hello
Welcome to BYC!!
So glad to have you here!!
Thanks for sharing your story!!
There are many people on here that are ready to help in anyway they can!
The learning center also has alot of great information on it as well!
Enjoy!​

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

There are so many great articles in our learning center on all the aspects of keeping poultry including our coops pages... https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/

Great to have you aboard and welcome to our group!

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC. Build or buy bigger than you think you will need - chicken math.

 

[N F C]

If you'd like to chat with other members that are in your general area, you can find your state thread here:find-your-states-thread.270925 It can be helpful to get first-hand advice on things like weather challenges, predators, breeders, etc.

Thanks for joining us, make yourself at home!