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

[NSWSNYDER]

My best advice would be to remember why you are doing this, and enjoy it! For us, it was about providing our children with an opportunity to be responsible caregivers, and stewards of our resources while exploring the concept of sustainability with our children. It has been a great activity and learning opportunity for all of us that has really brought us outdoors more.

 

[amillecay]

I have had chickens for some time now and I definitely want to always have some

My best advice would be to handle them very often; pick them up, spend time in and around the coop (of course if you just have a tractor spend time around it and try to pet them, I know some people that let them out and play with them) and just have a good time taking care and being with them it makes it so much easier to clean the coop and feed them etc. Yes you may go through some very hard times with them but we can all pull through it! But they are truly wonderful friendly animals to have you hear people talking about them like they are their kids (like I do). Some breeds are better to have than others, like if you want some chickens for eggs make sure you do your research! Some chickens don’t have as high egg productivity as others, I have a black star and a Red star they are my BEST layers. It also depends on what you feed them 16%, 18%, etc. you will have to do a bit of research before you decide on a feed since everyone wants what’s best for those chickens and what’s best for their egg productivity.

That’s my advice like I said just have fun with them! They are great animals and you get some nice fresh eggs which are so much better than the ones at the store!

 

[Chantelholcomb]

Healthy feed= healthy hens = healthy eggs= healthy family! Love them silly ladies!

 

[TheLyonPride]

So I am relatively new to chicken raising as I am starting my second year, my advise is to use backyardchickens.com for anything and everything and don't be afraid to ask questions. It is overwhelming at first and if you are like me, I am sure your lack of confidence far outweighs your knowledge of raising chickens. There are so many great resources and people to help you through it. And ultimately, have fun learning these creatures. They are a great pet and are some of the best entertainment!

 

[KarenZ]

Know this - your first coop will be to small. Accept this and plan on expanding.

Hawks are a problem but the hen saver chicken saddle really can help.

Have a comfortable bench near the chicken yard for just sitting and watching - The relaxation and entertainment thus achieved is priceless.

 

[MrsCountryChick]

The Best Advice I could give anyone who has or wants chickens is...."Never Stop Learning"....I grew up with farmer neighbors that had chickens for eggs, actually they still do. As an adult now I have had chickens for many years now myself. Just when you think your coups and pens are predator proof, you'll be proven wrong. Just when you think you've finished your coup and it's the exact way you want it, you'll see someone elses and want to then improve your own. I think backyardchickens.com is a great resource, as well as many personal family and friends. Never discount value of information, there are always new products, inventions or practices in the care of keeping a backyard chicken flock.

 

[ahahn]

Chickens are easy. They scratch in the yard. They come running when you have treats. They will fall asleep in your lap. They bask in the sun and leave beautiful gifts of white, brown and green in the nesting boxes. They look at you with word and feelings. They depend on you. They sit and sit and sit and come out one day with the most beautiful babies. They depend on you...They poop and poop and poop. They require clean food, water and coops, their homes can become a stinking pit of ammonia. They can get egg bound, sour crop, bumble foot, mites, lice, colds flu Mareks disease. They lay for a couple of years and then you feed a hen for 4 or 5 more years because you have named her and can’t bear the thought of 'culling' her. They devour everything you put in front of them and your pocket book. They tug at your heart and eat at your soul. They make you laugh and bring you tears. Be prepared, read, ask and open your heart...you will never in your life meet anything a wonderful as a chicken.

 

[JP101010]

If your thinking about getting backyard chickens you should always follow this advice : never stop learning!
First and foremost you would want to join our backyard chicken enthusiast community , BackyardChickens.com , This is a place where you will never stop Learning. There are so many reasons to keep backyard chickens , breeds to choose from , types of feed , chicken coop options and so many different peoples opinions on each one that by browsing through all of them , you will be sure to find whats right for your individual needs.We are all walks of life- Maybe you want to Keep a Backyard flock for personal enjoyment as pets, maybe you prefer to self sustain by raising hens for eggs and meat , or perhaps you are a 4H member , either way, Just when you think you have read it all about keeping chickens , you can be proven wrong at BYC.com.. and thats a good thing because you and your chickens will benefit from it!

 

[SIMPleChick]

New to chickens? So was I, so let me tell you how I got started! It is FUN and NOT as expensive as you think!

1. Prepare, research and watch! Google EVERYTHING about chickens that you can find! Funny, seroius and Back Yard videos of ALL kind! You DON'T need to buy a book, everything is ONLINE or go to the Library! I watched SO many YouTube videos from Big time egg production to evey day Joe's chicken raising! It gives you THE best insight to raising chickens in ALL kinds of yards and situations, etc...Search through hatchery websites to see what chick prices usually are, and where certain chicks fall into what catagories!

2. Recycle! Take anything you have, facebook, email and ask everyone you know for wood, old paint, roofing materials, picture frames for windows, fencing, etc... to make your coop! Visit local classifieds for free or very cheap items. Off of "ksl" I got 2 VERY sturdy work tables from a movie set where they made props for the movie! They made the tables too! Got 2, 8ft long, 4ft wide tables for 20 bucks! It doesn't have to be level or perfect! Mine looked like a shoe when we were finished, AND it was perfect! Go to the DOLLAR store for easy cleaning plastic totes for nesting boxes, fake eggs, coop decorations and an egg collecting basket,! You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on the perfect coop!

3. It's better to ask for forgiveness than for permission! Can't find local laws on your Online city website? Like for my city, there REALLY is NOTHING said about chickens in the laws! Don't know where to start? Call local city building or animal shelter, they should have names and numbers. Some people around me had chickens so I decided to ask neighbors in advance, who I KNEW would be on board....saying I would give eggs every once and a while and let their kids come collect eggs! EVERYONE was on board! I WORRIED when they started their egg songs but they couldn't hear them more than 2-3 houses away! Neighbors LOVED the fresh eggs and I was surprised at how many older people said, "Ohhh chickens, I grew up with them and love them! Their songs are like music to the ears!" (hens songs NOT rooster) I also found out that OTHER people in the neighborhood got chickens the same year too!

4. If you want gentle chickens that will get along with your family and pets, get them as chicks introduce everyone and everything as they grow! Family time with the chicks in the evening is great for bonding time! Hold them all you want, pet them, preen them, love them! You know your dogs and cats, you know if they have that look in their eye, if you should keep them away from the chicks or not! But with 3 dogs myself they licked them as babies and took naps in the sun with them in the summer!

5. Chosing your chicks! I recommend getting one of each your first time and get 2 more than you want to keep! You will not know what kind of chickens you will fall in LOVE with until you raise them! Obviously, if you want egg layers or meat birds, knowing which are which should be researchd before. But all stores and hatcherys should have them listed under proper catagories! I bought from a store here in my city. I didn't want to worry about getting any dead chicks with my kids watching. Pick out good, healthy, active chicks who are eating and drinking. Don't feel bad about being picky! If the store worker grabs one you don't want, TELL THEM! Stores usually have ALL their orders in for the year when they start getting chicks! I would call every week to see what kinds were coming that week! (Our limit was 4 and we ended up with 13! LOL! I would get 2-3 more chicks every week as I would call them and they would have new breeds they didn't have the week before!) And it IS ok to raise chicks of different ages together!

6. Raising them is not hard and you learn as you go! If you have ANY quetions, go to BYC!!! If you feel the light is too low, raise it up, make a brooder out of a cardboard box. (Go to a furniture store for a fridge box and cut it to what you need! The great thing of BYC is seeing how different everyone does their thing! Watching a chick grow into a hen and seeing their first egg is one of the best things you can do for you, your family and your health!

So stop wondering if you should do it or not and start googling and get ready for this years chicks! And after you get them, come back to BYC for more advice about your chicks next steps in life!!!

 

[Mara AK]

The best advice I have for people just entering into the world of chickens is to have your chicken yard visible from a comfy place in your home. Not only can you check up on them often throughout the day, but you can enjoy one of the greatest pleasures of chicken ownership: simply sitting and watching them as they scratch, cluck, take dirt baths, catch bugs and behave with chickeny charm. If you can do this from a comfy couch with a cup of tea you'll enjoy them so much you might forget that you originally got them for the eggs!