Getting my first chickens tomorrow!!! Any Advice!

[Nyrial]

Enjoy them

, love them, hug them and call them George.

Oh yeah, and visit BYC a lot!

 

[chixie]

congrats and enjoy them

 

[fldiver97]

Congrats!!! At 9 weeks old they should be well feathered. I would keep them in the coop for a few days so they know where 'home' is and put themselves to bed at night....you don't want to runaround tracking and catching chickens when it gets dark. Have grit available if you let them out in the run or feed treats so they don't get their crops impacted. Have food and water ready. Keep them on grower feed until they start laying. It would be nice if they could get out in a run or confined area for a little while each day so they can enjoy the outdoors but I would not let them free range until they know where the coop is and they return to it reliably. Enjoy the peeps!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh- most importantly...post pictures!!!!

 

[ABHanna4d]

THANK YOU ALL!

My husband is on his way to pick up the girls right now! I cant wait for him to get home. I think we are set

fldiver97 - thank you, I never considered "making sure they know where home is" and keeping them in the coop. I was going to just let them start doing thier thing right away...Ill make sure to let the girls have some adjustment time first! oh and grit...I need to get some grit. I didnt know that. I have treats ready though! My kids are SO excitted to give them treats!!


We are excitted...I guess theres no turning back now!

 

[PunkinPeep]

can't wait to see the pictures!

buff orpingtons are wonderful chickens. you will love them!

and congratulations!

 

[ABHanna4d]

IM SO HAPPY!!!

We are now the proud parents of 5 buff orpingtons!! They are absolutely precious little 9 week old balls of feathery joy! I cant wait for morning when I can go back out and see them...but I had to let them get some sleep and have some personal time to get to know thier coop and run. Ill post pictures soon!!!

 

[kathyinmo]

Oh, such an exciting time! Congrats!
My advice is this: Remember to keep their diet at 90 - 95% their grower feed, and the other 5 - 10% can be healthy treats. I use Purina Starter/Grower feed, and I love it. Be sure to smell your bag of feed for freshness. Don't buy it too far ahead, so it is always fresh. It can lose nutrious value when old. Another good tip I received and use is to use Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in their water a couple times a week (a tablespoon in a gallon of water). It has to be Organic, not distilled vinegar like in the grocery isle. Organic has the "mother," in it (looks like a slimy piece of apple). You can find a bunch of thread about ACV here on BYC. Oh, and probotics .... You can use yogurt (plain unflavored) for them once a week. Mine LOVE it. I mix it in with a little of their feed, so they don't make such a mess, and get every drop of it! Good is about a 1/2 to 1 teaspoon for each bird. Many topics on this on BYC, as well.

I have learned so much from BYC, and I know you will too.
Have fun! WELCOME to BYC ! ! !

 

[Beekissed]

Best advice? Don't let all the ocean of info and conflicting opinions on this site overwhelm you and ruin your chicken experience!

Relax and enjoy them, don't get too wrapped up in the details of percentages of protein, what kind of treats, meds, etc. It's a lot more simple than it sounds on here.....

Fresh water, fresh sunshine, clean air and water, bag of feed (your local feed store can recommend something) and watch for predators. Pretty simple, really.....

Have fun!

 

[ABHanna4d]

Should I have any meds for the girls?? I have been slightly freaked out lately by people telling me to be very careful because of all sorts of diseases we can get from them as well as salmonila from touching them and all sorts of creapy storys. Ummm is this anything I should be concerned about?

 

[RedStarDaddy]

Much like any animal, wash your hands after playing with them. The risk of salmonella is not zero, but I don't believe a well-managed well-tended flock of backyard chickens is an inevitable source of salmonella.

Keep them on medicated feed for a while after you put them outside. It won't kill all the parasites that cause cocci; rather, it'll keep their numbers down while the birds build an immunity to them. Some people keep their birds on medicated feed forever.

Virtually any disease the birds come down with that can be treated will give you a day or two to start treatment, except cocci. Corid is a full-strength version of the medication in the medicated feed that you can use to knock the parasites down in a hurry. I would get a small bottle of that and keep it handy just in case.

Now that I have written Doom And Gloom, forget all that and do like Bee said -- relax, enjoy them, and have fun.

RSD