FIRST THINGS FIRST

[4-H chicken mom]

Hi and from Ohio. So glad to have you aboard. I agree with redsoxs. It is a little late to be getting chicks for your area. Here is the Henderson Breed Chart.
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

 

[johnny hodge]

im new to this as well and to taking care of chickens. i have had mine about a month now. i love going out just to visit with them, they really are better than watching tv. mine will let me hold them and pet them, my 3 year daughter is very good with them, they will even let her pick them up. i have several delaware and a few other breeds. my biggest delaware will even perch on my arm like a hawk, its very cool. and i have already learned alot from the wonderful people on this site, i hope you enjoy it as much as i do.

 

[jbirds2012]

hi from california and

years ago when i lived in kansas my first chickens were white leghorns. in the winter i would put a light bulb close to the water so it wouldn't freeze and they got along fine.

 

[eileen meyer]

Hi Members,

It's nice to meet people with the same interest, from whom I can learn to raise backyard chickens. I am starting from scratch, (no pun intended). As we live on Long Island, NY, my first question is which breed would be hardy enough to withstand our winter weather conditions and still be good layers with sweet temperments. Our county allows homeowners to own up to 6 hens, no roosters. What time of year do you think would be wise to get the chicks and can the sex of the chick be determined early on.

Thanks for any advice you guys can offer me. I really appreciate a group like this. - Eileen

Hi my new friends,

Thank-you all for such a lovely, warm welcome, great advice, and some of your own stories, which I truly appreciate you sharing. I look forward to a long, rewarding, and educating experience from folks in the know.
As we are still in the planning stage, we also wanted to start a few raised vegetable gardens with the chicken coop being the central focal point. My preliminary thought is that the coop would have its own attached run, with access to the vegetable garden area only when someone is there to open the run and keep a watchful eye over the 'girls'. So.....Here comes my next set of questions.

1. Are there any vegetables or herbs I should avoid planting near the chicken coop, which may be toxic to the hens?

2. We know to use hay in the coop and the run, but we were thinking of either using gravel or wood bark as the ground cover in the vegetable garden. Any thoughts as to which is safer if the hens came in contact with that area?

3. I've seen the word 'broody' used many times in describing breeds. At the risk of sounding ignorant, what are they talking about?

THANKS GUYS IF YOU HAVE ANY ANSWERS. EILEEN

 

[liz9910]

from California!