Boston, MA dad and 6yo daughter want to start raising chickens for eggs

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deanmurphy9761

deanmurphy9761

Hatching
6 Years
Dec 12, 2013
1
0
7
Hello All,

Boston area carpenter looking for advice for me and my active 6yo daughter. We would like to start raising chickens for eggs and looking for help getting started. I would like to start building the chicken coop soon and would like help. My family personally goes thru about 2 dozen eggs a week, so would like to have a flock that would meet that demand. I am guessing we should wait til spring to get our hens. Any reccomendations would be appreciated by my daughter and myself.

Thank you in advance,

Dean and Karly
 
Welcome to BYC!

You've got an awful lot of options. You may want to poke around on this site for a bit and decide what sort of birds appeal to you and what coop designs you like. Then maybe open a thread and run some of your choices past the byc crew.

Peruse the learning center, coop section , and breeds page. These should get your wheels turning. Enjoy!
 
LL
 
I would suggest reading all you can this winter, look at the coop section to get ideas. Visit some of the hatchery sites to look at pictures of chickens and read about their size, type of eggs, how many per week they lay, and their temperament. I love Meyer (Ohio) hatchery's website for checking out the details. My Pet Chicken is another that has a lot of information, but it isn't really a hatchery, just a "middleman." They actually get many of their chickens from Meyer and other hatcheries. McMurray, Cackle, and Ideal are some other large national hatcheries. Build your coop larger than you think you need. Try getting some different breeds to see what you like and to be able to tell the girls and their eggs apart. Don't get more than 1 rooster. People always have extra roosters to give away in the fall, so you can always get one then. Get sexed pullets, not straight run which will be mixed boys and girls. Pay extra for the Maraks vaccine--probably the best advice of all. It is a horrible disease. Good luck!
 
Unless you are planning on buying a large number of chicks/chickens, I think going to a breeder is best even if you aren't in the market for show quality. I would also read up on Predators and predator proofing your coop and run.to protect your flock in every way possible.
 
Welcome to BYC
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Check out the Learning Center for articles on getting started, keeping the flock healthy, predator protection and much more. Also have a browse through the Coops section for some inspiration and coop designs. Enjoy!
 
Hi, Dean and Karly, welcome to BYC. Study the forums, ask questions if needed. Somewhere the answers can be found.
 

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