Getting Ready for the Big Leap!

[analyticalblonde]

Hi All,

My husband & I recently moved to Tooele, Utah, from Sandy, Utah. Even while living in Sandy I have been researching and studying up on ALL that is needed/required to starting, for the first time, a flock. It's been nearly a year, several books & periodicals, blueprints, researching hatcheries, etc. and now I'm ready to pull the trigger!

I am a newbie...never raised chickens before so I am a bit anxious! Since Tooele a little like the Wasatch Front (a little) I know I need cold-hardy breeds but I also know I need heat-hardy breeds as well. So they have to be both.

Also, I was hoping someone would know when the best time to have chicks delivered. We will be housing our brooder in our garage but I am concerned about the cold. I will be having a proper heat lamp and the section of the garage where the brooder will be, unfortunately, means, the door will have to be opened twice a day...I don't want the babies to get chilled. I will have cardboard around the perimeter of the brooder to keep drafts down but will the lamp be enough?

Also, I have read the time to take the pullets out is when the temperature is around 70 degrees but does not dip below 50 degrees at night. Is that a solid, etched in stone, advice? Tooele, just like in Sandy, there was always a cold-snap and I'm concerned about that.

Finally, my husband believes that digging hardwire down 12 inches and flanking the perimeter of the coop and run out another 2 feet is overkill. He said someone, somewhere, came up with that idea and everyone then fell in line with that advice. There are coyotes here among other predators but he doesn't want to trench up that much dirt around the coop and run because he feels that it is excessive. Any thoughts?

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[Kiki]

Welcome to BYC!
We are glad you joined our flock!
Digging a trench will help keep rats away too. Does he like rats?
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[sourland]

Welcome to BYC, and congratulations on your new home.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Glad you joined us Good to see you're doing your homework before acquiring any chicks. You may want to search out the forum of BYC members in your area, they'll be able to clue you in more to what your area needs are.

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
I have nearly every nasty predator you can think of that afflicts the northeast. We just did a 2' wide predator apron of 1/2" HC very securely attached all the way around the coop/run, pinned down on the opposite end with landscape staples then buried under a few inches of soil. IMO, that will suffice. Nothing has ever breached this.
As for timing for the chicks, I ordered 11 chicks from Meyer hatchery. They were shipped from Ohio to NY on April 30 and arrived 2 days later. They all survived just fine. I would wait until early spring to order. People do order year round. I just think the chances for the USPS to drop the ball and leave the chicks somewhere very cold and have them all die is too much of a risk during winter.
Good luck with your new home and your new chicks.

 

[alexa009]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens! We are glad you joined the flock! BYC is a helpful site providing all the information you need to know about poultry! There is always space for more members on the BYC roost! I believe spring is the ideal month to order chicks. If you are trying to prevent predators from entering your pen use hardware cloth. Imo, chicken wire/mesh is too cheap and is easy for predators to break right through. Hope you enjoy it here as much as we all do!

 

[BlueBaby]

Hello, and welcome! No need to feel anxious as a beginner. This site has all of the info and help here that you will need. All you have to do is ask, if you can't find what you need.

 

[cassie123]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens!

 

[drumstick diva]

Hope you will enjoy Backyard Chickens as much as we do

 

[cholland]

I do chicks in the spring. March/April so the weather is getting warmer. I recommend looking at using a heat plate or MHP instead of a heat lamp. Much safer, and the chicks seem to feather a little faster, adapting to cold sooner.

As for trenching and skirting, that works. But I didn't do that for my run. I have lined the bottom of my fence with rocks. I have lots available. Then ran an electric fence wire around the outside about 5-6 inches high. That has stopped anything from digging in. Might cost a little more depending on the size of your run, but quite a bit less labor involved.

Good luck with your flock. Don't be intimidated, chickens are really easy to raise especially when you have done a little research and are ready with a coop and run, before they arrive.