Chicken (Little, do I know about them :)

[townchicks]

Hi, welcome! Some quick advice for newbies. Build your coop and run first. Don't buy a prefab coop. Read the coop pages to see what others have done. Build as big as you can. Start with half the chickens you think you'll want. You can add more later, but you may find you have just enough. If you can't have a rooster, do not buy straight run chicks! Even sexed chicks have at least 10% error rate. Finding pet homes for that sweet little cockerel is hard. Never underestimate predators. Read all the forums, especially about health and behavior. Start a first aid kit. Then, take a deep breath, relax and enjoy your chickens. As questions arise, we are here for you. Chickens are FUN

 

[Battlepants]

Don't buy a prefab coop

All very solid advice, but I want to dive into this one a bit. Prefab coops are a very shady business. Typically, they will advertise a much higher capacity than they should actually hold. From what I understand, this is based on the legal requirement for battery farms and not something that we would do for pets that we actually care about. If you find yourself going the route of prefab, take whatever they advertise and assume it can hold about half of that.

Some other general specs is that per chicken go for 10 square feet of run, 4 square feet of coop and 10 inches of roost bar. Additionally, 1 nest box per 3-4 hens, with a minimum of 3 nest boxes.

And a personal suggestion - avoid the feed stores in spring. The chicks they sell there are VERY sneaky and will follow you to your car.

But seriously, ask lots of questions and learn as much as you can. Never stop asking and learning!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens.. I love my herb garden.

 

[Lor]

Hello and welcome!

 

[Grammy60]

Hello and welcome to BYC So happy you have joined our flock.

 

[artbykarenehaley]

Welcome to the club,
welcome to the club
Welcome wilsha
welcome wilsha
welcome wilsha

 

[N F C]

Make yourself at home and always feel free to ask questions!

 

[rjohns39]

Hi and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us

 

[sourland]

Define your goals, study the forums, ask questions, plan/prepare, and you will be successful in establishing and maintaining your flock. Good luck.

 

[Dr Evy]

Welcome to BYC. We’re so glad you joined and it’s so nice to meet you!