Sponsored Post Congratulations MamaNini! You won a beautiful coop from Handcrafted Coops!

[Laurieks]

Give them lots of variety in diet & environment.
Mine love it when I hang a cabbage upside down in their coop, especially in winter! I poke a heavy piece of wire into the bottom of the cabbage, and make a loop in the other end to tie to twine or a chain. (nothing they can get hurt on once the cabbage is gone.
Enjoy your new friends!
PS. If the worst happens & you have unexplained deaths in your flock, your nearest Vet school or Ag Extension will usually do a (quite comprehensive) autopsy for free: just FedEx the body in a styrofoam box with an ice pack (both usually free at any pharmacy).

 

[orpingtonfriend]

Raising chickens with children. We have decided that we want our children to experience raising chickens. It is a wonderful educational experience with lots of joy when they find an egg. We would like our chickens to be our pets, we do not have them yet but will be getting them in May. First we had to decide as a family which breed would be best. After lots of reading we all agreed on the Orpington! Their temperament was the most important thing, and Orpingtons I hear are the best with children. We also had to take into consideration our climate and our backyard space. We have a really small yard and cold winters. The Orpington again fits what we need. Now that we picked the breed we need to get a coop and find a spot. The coop building has not happened yet, this is so far the most difficult aspect of getting chickens in my opinion. I am very happy to find lots of information here for this. We are excited to start this adventure and to watch our children learn and explore with the chickens.

 

[new chick 203]

Visit as many coops as you can and talk to people about what works and what doesn't before you design and build or buy a coop, and make sure it's ready by the time the chicks show up or you might have them in the house longer that you think.

 

[SesameSt.Chicks]

The best suggestion from the adventures and joys I've had in raising chickens is to discuss your venture with other people. I started out asking for them for my birthday -- sort of like "a horse on my wishlist" thing. My friend's yard was being overrun with them and she was glad to get 3 of the little chicks into my hands. While I discussed my chicks with people in my church, one guy said that he had some wire temporary coops to use to introduce them to the outdoors. After they outgrew those, a friend, after hearing my perusings on how to build or buy a coop, offered me to use the coop he had made when he had 3 chickens. He said I could use it for as long as I needed - he had no use for it anymore. My mom's employer let me keep the coop on his land -- it is good for the tourist business. He also gave me a waterer he had used with his chickens. Another person in church passes on older chicken magazines to me.
Many people have had experiences with chickens. It is fun to get to know them more by hearing their experiences. Who knows? They might even have a retired piece of equipment to pass on!

 

[needmoresilkies]

My best advice for having chickens is to handle them everyday and bond with them. If you are going to show them, all that handling and bonding will pay off because they will be calm and cooperate with you. Even though it is great to give your chickens lots of affection, you should try to minimize disturbance in the last 2 hours of daylight. Why? It is because that is when egg problems develop. Hens can develop egg problems just from being scared or being messed with. Another piece of advice is to make sure you are feeding the chickens the right food.If chickens that aren't laying get too much calcium, their first eggs will have large calcium deposits or the chickens may even get toxic with calcium and go paralyzed! Hens that are laying and don't get enough calcium may have their eggshells go soft. My last subject of advice is about predator control. Always lock your chickens up at night. If you don't, your chickens will almost certainly get eaten. Also, make sure you make sure your coop is predator proof. If there are any gaps, make sure they aren't any more than 2 inches in diameter. Lastly, make sure that you don't leave any scraps of food outside as it will draw predators.

 

[jandrusrn]

Advice from a total newbie may be actually quite desireable.... ahem (clearing throat).... here goes. Love them. Love your chickens, your chicks, love their eggs, love their treats, their egg song, their muttering, their poo, their little footprints, their scratching, dustbaths, pecking, their foraging, their cuddling and the way they make you feel. Try to make them as happy and healthy as they make you feel. I can only speak for myself and they actually have made me a happier human. I do research, I read, I look up information when I can and when I have questions.

I know what goes into them, so I know what comes out of them. They live in my backyard and are only in a coop/henhouse in the evening when it can be dangerous due to predators. They garden with me, and I garden because of them, and they're part of my family.

Just as an aside (but not really) I would very much like to add to our wee little flock, but because I have done my research.... I need some new coop space to make sure everyone is happy and healthy. Here's to chickens!!

Just love them.... they're worth it.

 

[Kera]

We don't have our hens yet, they will be coming in April- so we are complete newbies! But, my best advice is to read everything you can get your hands on about chickens and coops and laws both online and in print, and then jump in with both feet! I found City Chicks by Patricia Foreman to be very helpful, especially when I was writing the letter to my homeowners association to ask permission for an exception to be made to the bylaws. Our propsal was accepted unanimously and with great excitement. It seems they all want eggs! A coop would be great right now because ours is still in the 'planning' stage. We will be starting on it over the weekend! Thanks for the opportunity.

 

[theperdews]

Two important considerations include keeping your chickens safe and enjoying your relationship with them.

SAFETY:

Make sure you have a coop that allows them to be left unattended when you are away from home and might not make it home by sunset. On those days, don't let them out to free range, but still offer them outdoor time in an enclosed coop protected from hawks and 4-legged predators who might try to enter from above or below by digging. A chicken tractor (mobile coop) is a great way to keep the chickens safer than free ranging, yet giving them new ground surface daily to scratch and to fertilize!

ENJOY YOUR CHICKENS:

Build a relationship with your chickens by naming them, teaching them to come for treats by calling, and holding them frequently. Teaching chickens to come when you call is a safety mechanism, as you can call them to the coop if you must leave home at an unusual time. They are always good for a laugh when they run toward you as a group, hoping to get the most treats!

It helps to have chickens that vary in looks, as you learn to appreciate each of their personalities when you can easily tell them apart. Fair warning...you WILL develop a favorite! ;-)

Talk to other chicken enthusiasts about breeds to ensure you are happy with the eggs (we love colorful eggs!). Some breeds may tend to be less likely to eat your flowers and scratch in your flower beds.

 

[TayFray!]

One of the biggest problems with chickens and other poultry is that they like to eat their eggs! I could never figure out a solution until I tried out a couple different things! Why waste your beautiful show, pet, or egg layer, when the problem can be easily solved! 1 thing you can do is take one of their eggs, poke a hole in both ends blow out the yolk, and then fill the egg with mustard, if your chicken continues to eat the egg even with the mustard try putting other undesirable solutions such as hot sauce into the egg! This normally gets my chickens to stop eating their eggs right away! If that doesn't work you can also try putting wooden eggs in where they normally lay their eggs! They wont be able to crack them open, and they will think all eggs are like that! (some plastic easter eggs may also work for that purpose but I have not tried it!) Hope I can help with all the egg eating issues, and please dont give up with your chicken or other poultry when the problem can be easily cured and you will be able to hatch and eat their eggs just fine! Thanks for reading!!!

 

[austin Joseph]

My best advice in poultry raising, though relatively basic, is detrimental to healthy happy birds. First you need to have the mentality to always strive to have your birds thrive not survive! The way to most effectively do so is constant evaluation of locality/purpose, diet, and shelter.
First what are you raising birds for? Are they going to be in a coop or free range? Recognize the climate in which you are raising birds and what time of year you plan to do so. Whether you are ordering from a hatchery or developing your own variety it is important to choose a breed that is well suited to your specific environmental conditions (temperature, precipitations), foraging niches, and flightiness and camouflage (for evading predators).
Second formulate a diet (this section can go into great depth so ill cover basics). What are your bird’s calorie needs? Are they for laying or meat production or both? How much will they be foraging? Give your flock adequate supplements and grit for their current needs. Diversity is important in there diets! Supply grains, scratch, meal, meat (chickens are omnivores don’t forget, fish is a good choice) greens and feed.
Third make sure your birds have a nice place to stay protecting them from the elements and predators. Make sure there is enough square footage for each bird. Make sure they have proper bedding and areas to roost and lay if they want. Fortify your run and coop, be conscience of local predators.