kbuilta
Hatching
- May 10, 2016
- 1
- 0
- 9
Hi,
We're new to doing chickens anywhere, let alone in our backyard, but my wife thought this would be a great idea. We have them already - 6 chicks arrive 3 weeks ago. We had arranged for 3 Rhode Island Reds and 3 Buff Orpingtons but the source (a Farm and Fleet store) apparently mismarked the delivery and we wound up with 3 RIRs and what look to be 3 Barred Plymouth Rocks. Even noobs like us can tell that they aren't BOs since they are Black with selected white bits. But I think we'll be happy with the mixup anyway.
Now building a coop with attached run that is predator-proof because there are a lot of raccoons in our area and we have seen foxes nearby, too. We live in an urban area but there is a large, wooded cemetery behind the houses across the street so wildlife abounds in town. We live in western Illinois so winters are cold but we understand these are pretty winter-hardy birds so we're not plumbing the coop to be a sauna for the chickens.
We're a homeschool family with just our 2 youngest still at home but they're 16 and 17 so it's looking like when we become empty-nesters, the nest won't be empty at all!
Anyway, this forum has been a great resource already, helping figure out what breed we wound up with, whether they're really pullets or not, and ideas for coops, etc...and we're looking forward to the adventure that's already begun.
We're new to doing chickens anywhere, let alone in our backyard, but my wife thought this would be a great idea. We have them already - 6 chicks arrive 3 weeks ago. We had arranged for 3 Rhode Island Reds and 3 Buff Orpingtons but the source (a Farm and Fleet store) apparently mismarked the delivery and we wound up with 3 RIRs and what look to be 3 Barred Plymouth Rocks. Even noobs like us can tell that they aren't BOs since they are Black with selected white bits. But I think we'll be happy with the mixup anyway.
Now building a coop with attached run that is predator-proof because there are a lot of raccoons in our area and we have seen foxes nearby, too. We live in an urban area but there is a large, wooded cemetery behind the houses across the street so wildlife abounds in town. We live in western Illinois so winters are cold but we understand these are pretty winter-hardy birds so we're not plumbing the coop to be a sauna for the chickens.
We're a homeschool family with just our 2 youngest still at home but they're 16 and 17 so it's looking like when we become empty-nesters, the nest won't be empty at all!
Anyway, this forum has been a great resource already, helping figure out what breed we wound up with, whether they're really pullets or not, and ideas for coops, etc...and we're looking forward to the adventure that's already begun.
