Any advice for a new Chicken owner?

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Hello and welcome to BYC! :frow

So glad you decided to join us. Definitely follow the link to our Learning Center that @N F C has left for you above. Do some reading in our forums and most of all, enjoy your flock! If you have any questions about anything along the way, be sure to ask.

Welcome to our community!
 
Hello Keeva! Welcome to BYC and the best place to share your chicken stories and get answers to your questions!
Advice? Where to start.....
Read a lot. Go to the Learning Center like @N F C suggested for loads and loads of information. Beyond that, the best I can advise are these:
* Be sure your coop is large enough and well ventilated for the number of chickens you have. Then double it. (See my note on "chicken math" below.)
* Don't underestimate the abilities, determination, and violence of predators. Secure the coop and pen more than you think it needs to be.
* Prepare mentally for losses. You will lose some or all of your hens at some point to predation or disease, or the necessity of culling one or more yourself.
* Don't plan on much of your garden surviving; the chickens will love you for giving it to them to dig up. But hey, they'll fertilize it for you, turn the soil, and destroy all bugs and weeds - along with any seedlings you might have had.
* Read up on toxic foods and plants, such as tomato plants.
* Don't fret the cold winter weather; they'll stay warmer than you think they are.
* Read BYC's stories on roosters before you decide to get one. They should come with warning labels.
* Stock up a first-aid kit for your chickens, with things like vitamin-C tablets, electrolytes, blue wound spray, and dewormers.
* Beware "chicken math." It sneaks up on you and before you know it, four hens becomes eight when you realize you want that cute silkie, or fluffy orpingtons, or those adorable ducklings at the farm store.
* Carry your camera at all times when around the chickens. The most hilarious or adorable moments occur when you least expect it.
* Come back here often to read our stories and post about your own. We look forward to reading them!
 
For information this is a great place to start. I have learned so much in a short time. People are friendly and compassionate. If you don't get an answer to a question the first post, don't worry, it's not you, so much comes through sometimes that not everything gets notice. Post again. Great knowledgeable people here with a willingness to help. I have only been here for a little over a month and it has helped me so much! I hope you have the same experience. :)
 

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