Chickens: My new obsession

[CardinalFarms]

I don't have chickens yet, but I'm excited to get started. I always get the urge to have chickens in the spring, and this year I'm going for it. I plan on getting biddies (not hatching myself) and I'm in the process of converting a doghouse into a brooding box. We have a barn (and just a dog and 2 cats) and that's where I plan on keeping the brooder box - with a heat lamp, of course. We also have about 3 acres, so plenty of space for chickens. There is a 49' x 49' fenced in area that I plan on completely re-wrapping with chicken wiring, as well as "roofing" the entire area with chicken wire. My next project is to build the coop. I've already gotten tons of wonderful ideas from this site. Looking forward to joining the chicken crowd!

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC, and good luck with your chicks. Make sure the brooder box is secure as coons frequently gain access to barns.

 

[Cyprus]

Hello, and so glad to have you join us! I wish you the best of luck with your fluffbutts how eggciting!
Yes, do make sure your brooder box is as secure as possible.

 

[happyhens1972]

Hi there and welcome to BYC!! You'll meet lots of wonderful people here who have caught the chicken bug, like you, and they is a world of advice on hand for the newbie addict!

You don't have your location in your avatar (definitely worth adding that so advice can be geographically tuned!) but you mention chicken wire....in the UK, a heavy gauge chicken wire will keep out the foxes but if you're in the states, where your predators are a lot bigger, then a heavy gauge hardware cloth would be a better choice. Either way, it should be buried down a couple of feet and then skirted too. Good luck with your conversion and your addiction....if it's not taken full hold of you yet, it certainly won't be long.....beware!! xxx

 

[Pork Pie]

Hello and welcome to BYC

Here’s a link to the Articles section - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/ There you’ll find lots of information on almost every aspect of keeping chickens - from coop building ideas, to incubating eggs.


There’s a link on the page above to the Learning Centre - it’s a great resource. If you have a specific topic in mind, just type it in the search box - there's a wealth of information on past and present threads.


Each week, various topics are discussed, which can also be a great resource - https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive


You can use this link to contact members in your area - Find Your State Thread


Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[MrsMistyReal]

If you enjoy cooking or baking, join pot luck photo contest w/Farmer Connie. Welcome aboard to BYC family gr8 people tons of information loads of fun enjoy shake your tail feathers

 

[drumstick diva]

Chicken wire ONLY keeps chickens IN, it does nothing to keep predators OUT.

 

[CardinalFarms]

Hello, and so glad to have you join us! I wish you the best of luck with your fluffbutts how eggciting!
Yes, do make sure your brooder box is as secure as possible.

Ok - I hear ya. Now I'm a little nervous. The barn is pretty secure, BUT our cat can go in and out between the opening where the barn door slides together, which tells me a raccoon could do that too. Wait - we do have 2 little storage rooms in the barn with closing doors. That's where I need to put the box. Thanks for the advice!

 

[CardinalFarms]

Chicken wire ONLY keeps chickens IN, it does nothing to keep predators OUT.

Ugh, another obstacle already. The heavy gauge wire fencing that is up now is curled under the bottom of the pen by about 12 inches. Nothing is buried. Will that 12 inches deter a predator, or will I actually need to bury something all the way around the pen?

 

[ronott1]

You are doing great with planning so far!

Enjoy the chicken adventure