Here's my intro. We live on a farm in the mountains of Washington State. Last week we just got our first set of chicks. They have been so much fun already that I can't believe I didn't get them sooner.
When our chicks are old enough they will (hopefully) be free range chickens. However, we have a good number of predators here and I will be asking lots of questions about the best coop situation for the chickens. Ideally they could live in the barn at night but I don't know if raccoons would go in there and bother them or not.
In any event, we have eight pullets of different breeds. Two of them are a "mystery" so we'll have to wait to see what they look like when they grow up. I've enjoyed reading the site so far! Thanks in advance to everyone who is willing to help the newbies on here. (My expertise is in horses and cats...but I'm looking forward to becoming savvy with chickens as well.)
When our chicks are old enough they will (hopefully) be free range chickens. However, we have a good number of predators here and I will be asking lots of questions about the best coop situation for the chickens. Ideally they could live in the barn at night but I don't know if raccoons would go in there and bother them or not.
In any event, we have eight pullets of different breeds. Two of them are a "mystery" so we'll have to wait to see what they look like when they grow up. I've enjoyed reading the site so far! Thanks in advance to everyone who is willing to help the newbies on here. (My expertise is in horses and cats...but I'm looking forward to becoming savvy with chickens as well.)
and Welcome To BYC! What cute chicks! X3, you'll need to have a secure coop for them or modify part of the barn into a secure area, raccoons will wind up in the barn after them sooner or later. You might consider electric fence or electric poultry netting if true free range is to dangerous for them with bobcats and coyotes. Check out the Predator forum for suggestions on dealing with them.
