Brand new- no chicks yet!

To start, you should see what the minimum amount of chickens is that you are required to purchase. In Ohio, it is 6. If your state has no minimum, I think between 4 and 6 is good for the first generation. For a beginner flock, I would recommend Silkies, Plymouth Barred Rocks, Orpingtons, and Easter eggers/ Americanas.(same thing, but one has a fluffy face. Basically what happens when a true Ameracauna jumps the fence, and now they’ve got to put something on the breed label other than “mixed”)

The most important things I have to say from experience are:

1. Rhode Island Reds can be docile, but most strains I encountered were prone to aggressive behavior. The roosters are also possessive of hens, rather than protective, and tend to rip more feathers out when breeding, as compared to my Plymouth.

2 if you want small hens, get Bantam. I recently rehomed my quail, because I had too many roosters and they would have killed each other. I got fed up with it and gave away all 3 roosters and 2 hens. It was better financially than buying 10 hens and another coop. Chicken politics are complex, but nowhere near quail.

3. Depending on budget and materials, it is usually cheaper to get a whole bunch of dudes to build a coop, instead of trying to buy one. My mom only needed to go get some free secondhand wood pallets, then wrap it in chicken wire and put a roof on it. My stepdad was able to make a simple sliding door. If you can, build your own.

4. Pullet is never absolute. About one tenth of the pullets are improperly labeled, so if you don’t want roosters get pullet, but it’s still a good idea to have a rehoming plan. Also, if you do want roosters, you need at least 5 or 6 hens for the first, and add 10 hens per rooster after that. If they free range, it is better, but if they are confined in a small yard or run, I would suggest not getting more than 2 boys, as they can be territorial during spring and summer.

Hopefully this helps! :)
Thank you so much! There's so much to learn and I want to be prepared before I start. I'm planning on making my own coop and run. I'm just learning all of the very basic terms. (I had to look up what a pullet was🤪). My goal is to have plentiful eggs primarily, but also docile pets that won't be aggressive. Any aggressive ones or roosters may become dinner, but that is yet to be determined.
 
Hi you won’t regret it they become addictive , snd relaxing to sit and watch ,
there so friendly!
they know when you are comeing out to give them treats ,
and follow you around ,
in there pack it’s so cute ☺️
you probably will start with a small amount ,
then just add and add there is so many beautiful breeds to get .
my favourite are Cochins
there gorgeous
I have 11 started chickens all mixed breeds
started with two !
then added four!
then added 5 😂 see addictive
could not help my self they all have old lady names

Advice Start with a bigger coop then you will need !
as you will get the bug ,
to get more chickens
my mistake at first was getting a small house , I had to quickly think it through ,and get a bigger one ,more space the better keep us updated on what you get pictures ect you will learn so much on here , I definitely have ,
I new nothing about them when I got them
so lost a few to illness but since being on here, I now have learned what to look out for,
you have to become your own vet
Have fun choosing your chickens x
Thanks so much for the advice! I'm planning on building a pretty big one as I have lots of scrap wood on the new property.
 
Welcome to Back Yard Chickens. I am also in Georgia. Southwest, practically in Alabama to the west and Florida to the south. It does get hot, but you can have chickens successfully. I can't give much advice because I am relatively new to this myself. This is a great site for information and support
 
Welcome to Back Yard Chickens. I am also in Georgia. Southwest, practically in Alabama to the west and Florida to the south. It does get hot, but you can have chickens successfully. I can't give much advice because I am relatively new to this myself. This is a great site for information and support
And then we are not to far apart neighbors. We are not to far west of Dothan where we go for medical specialist and to look but not touch the baby chicks every so often at Rural King. :wee:wee
 
Dothan is also our go to place.
My paternal side of the family is from SE Georgia. All of my Maternal side is from this Area of AL. BYC is getting more and more members I think from this area and down in the FL panhandle. I've met some very nice people here that I rehomed some roosters for.
 
Welcome to Back Yard Chickens. I am also in Georgia. Southwest, practically in Alabama to the west and Florida to the south. It does get hot, but you can have chickens successfully. I can't give much advice because I am relatively new to this myself. This is a great site for information and support
That's great! We can learn together! What kind and how many chickens did you get?
 
I have had chickens for about two years. My first experience was not a good one. I made the mistake of buying some sick birds without knowing it. I also got 5 "rescues" from a chicken production plant. Between sickness and some neighbor dogs, I lost my flock, save one very sturdy barnyard mix leghorn hen. A friend of ours needed to re-home a rooster, so we got him. Milli and Monty are now proud parents of two chicks that are now two weeks old. She is raising them in the coop
 

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