Don't know where to start

[Marissa Wilson]

Hi everyone! I'm Marissa. My husband and I just bought our first house and we have five acres. We want to raise animals and I think we should start with chickens. We love fresh eggs!
So my question is, where do I start? If they're free range can they still be in a fence? I'm completely new to all this and feel pretty ignorant! So please feel free to share all your newbie mishaps so we won't make the same mistakes!

(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
No chickens yet!

(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
See number one

(3) What breeds do you have?
See numbers one and two

(4) How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com?
Internet search

(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
I love spending time with family and I'm very involved in our church.

(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
My husband is an electrician and I'm a registered nurse, no kids for us yet! We do have two fur babies though- Lincoln and Lois Lane. They are standard poodles and so much fun. Lois Lane is the hyper, high-maintenance one while Lincoln is sweet and laid back. We are looking for a cat to help with pest control but haven't gotten one yet.

We are excited to start this new adventure!

 

[Kiki]

Hi there!!
One of the best starting places is building a secure coop.
The learning center has some great examples.
Click here :coops.12
Welcome to BYC.

Here is a video to show you how to navigate this site too:

 

[Trish1974]

Welcome Marissa! Chickens are the best farm animals to start with. Definitely the easiest in my opinion, and growing up on a farm I had every animal you could imagine. KikisGirls gave you a good link to start with. I'm not sure where you are located but just about every area has predators, so I would recommend against free ranging. Good luck!

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC

You'll find lots of info in the Learning Centre - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/learning-center.11/ and 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 may wish to consider joining your state thread as it will put you in touch with other BYC members in your area - http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/270925/find-your-states-thread#post_3239224

All the best

CT

 

[drumstick diva]

Chickens can be just as happy in a large, safe, covered run . Just give them some features like nice area(inside the fence) for dust bathing, maybe a swing - chickens are really getting to like them. Some real branches to roost on or explore.

 

[sunflour]

so glad you joined us.

When I first decided to get my own backyard small flock, I loved the "romantic" idea of letting them free range. But if one researches the benefits vs perils, you will find that there are always losses to predators - and for many an entire flock can be lost in one day.
Even "supervised" ranging can result in some losses.

One of the biggest surprises to me was the individual personalities that chickens have - IMO just like other pets we love. And the loss of even one is devastating, as would be for one of your furry pets. We cannot protect our pets from every possible peril/disease/injury - but predator issues is something that is predictable.

IMO - weigh the dangers of the predators in your area, the size of the flock you plan and make your own decision based on reality. A fence is a great asset ( one I don't have) but doesn't protect them from climbers, diggers or flying predators- and IMO the best alternative is selecting breeds that do well in confinement, build a predator proof covered coop/run and offer outdoor foraging when you can be with them.

Good luck with your new adventure.

 

[Marissa Wilson]

Thanks everyone for the great advice! I've been seeing at least one large hawk on our land. Any tips on deterring them?