First time chicken enthusiast!

[Catgarden1]

Hey everyone ! My name is cat and I am about to get my first flock of chickens. I will be starting out with six Rhode Island reds. Is there any tips I should be aware of??

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! A great place to start reading is the BYC Learning Center, lots of nice articles on all aspects of poultry keeping you'll find helpful with your new hens https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center and it is always fun to check out your state thread for chicken keeping neighbors and any suggestions they many have for your area, weather etc https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/270925/find-your-states-thread

 

[dawg53]

Welcome to BYC.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Congrats on the soon to be new flock! Definitely stop by our learning center. Kelsie has left you with the link. Lots of good articles on all kinds of things you will need to know about your new birds.

Make yourself at home here and if you have any questions, feel free to ask. Welcome to our flock!

 

[BantamLover21]

Glad you joined us!

I would definitely check out the Learning Center. Good luck with your future chickens!

 

[Wyandottes7]

Welcome to BYC!

We're glad to have you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Definitely check out the Learning Center!

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. I've raised Rhode Island Reds in the past and you should be aware that while they are very hardy and excellent layers, they can occasionally be aggressive (particularly the roosters). Are you planning on breeding them? If so, I would advise keeping on one rooster and getting five more hens to go with him. The recommended ratio of roosters to hens is 1 rooster for every 10 hens as too many roosters will be very hard physically on your hens; over-breeding them, biting and plucking the feathers from their necks and backs, battering them, and potentially, seriously injuring them. With real gentle breeds, you might get by okay with a lesser ration than the 10 to 1, but with RIRs I would definitely stick to the recommended ratio. Also, if your rooster turns out to be aggressive, I would get another, more gentle one as you don't want to breed that kind of aggression into your flock. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your RIRs.

 

[drumstick diva]

Cat, welcome to Backyard chickens.

 

[sumi]

Welcome to BYC

Glad you joined us!

 

[liz9910]