Can't believe I have chickens

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dyorto

dyorto

Songster
May 27, 2015
340
208
106
Michigan
Hi,
I'm a new mom to 3 chicks and have no idea what I'm doing. I feel like a mom bringing home a newborn. I live in Michigan so I'll have lots of questions, especially when it comes to keeping them happy over winter
 


Winter worries a lot of folks - mostly needlessly. Chickens are actually very hardy and are much more able to cope with bitter cold than they are with heat. As long as the birds have an appropriately sized and built dry shelter to get out of the drafts, they will be quite happy. One key thing that often leads to mistakes is ventilation - humans look at it and think that winter is the time to close up their vents to "keep it warmer" in the coop - in fact, good ventilation is even more important in the winter. Cold, dry air is much less of a threat than cold, wet air - the damp putting your birds at risk of frost bite and creating a better environment for illness to take hold.
Have you decided on and/or built a coop and run yet?
 
400

We purchased this premade one. I only have 3 chicks. There isn't tight seals around the window and door areas, I wasn't sure if that would be an issue in the cold
 
Also if you have extreme weather, winds, storms, snow etc. I don't think that coop will hold up well enough. You do have some time before winter , to decide what to do.
 
I have 3 chicks. I'm not sure what breed. I am from Michigan, so we do have harsh winters. I had no idea how to build a coop and can't spend a lot to buy a bigger one. But I'm already thinking about going bigger. My husband will throttle me!
 
Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Raisning chickens is a scary experience. But it's also fun and rewarding. Our learning center is full of helpful info on raising chickens from start to finish. Here is the link to it along with a couple other helpful articles. https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/raising-chicks-frequently-asked-questions-and-answers https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/raising-chicks-artificially

Best of luck!
 
dyorto said:
I have 3 chicks. I'm not sure what breed. I am from Michigan, so we do have harsh winters. I had no idea how to build a coop and can't spend a lot to buy a bigger one. But I'm already thinking about going bigger. My husband will throttle me!
Click to expand...
What breed did they end up being? Did you build a bigger coop (recent post by you in the MI thread says that you are looking for some BO and Barred Rocks)
 

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