Getting started with baby chicks or started pullets?

[Molliep2]

I am new to the world of raising chickens and I was wondering if I should start with chicks or started pullets? Do you have any suggestions?

 

[lazy gardener]

How important is it to you that you get eggs soon? Would you rather go through the baby phase, or simply put your birds in their coop and start collecting eggs?

Either way, be sure you give the birds plenty of room: at least 4 s.f. in coop and 10 s.f. in run per bird. A walk in style coop is best. I would absolutely avoid the cute little doll house coops on stilts. They are all poorly designed, falsely advertised, over priced, cheaply made. If the advertising says it will house 8 chickens, you can bet that it will be barely adequate for two, and it will not have adequate ventilation or head room.

No matter what you choose to do, get all of your birds from the same source at the same time.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Oooohhhhh you will have lots of questions to answer...

How many birds are you wanting?
Have you chosen the breeds?
Do you have a coop already?

There will be TONS of questions....

So personally I like to start with chicks. There are chicken diseases that once you have them on the property you cannot ever get rid of them.

Lazy gardener hit on vital things to know too.



There are great articles here that are very worth reading.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/

I would start in the learning center.

 

[PirateGirl]

I chose started pullets for the following reasons.

No brooding indoors, straight to coop. (No brooder at all!)

Proven health/survivors.

Easier to sex, or often sold sexed.

Usually purchased locally so no stress from shipping, already exposed to the local environment.

The biggest downside is that they may or may not have been handled much as chicks. This may or may not be important to you. My chickens are relatively calm and friendly, but they are not lap chickens, nor will they ever be, but I don't want them to be, so it doesn't matter.

Oh, and you can see a bit of their personality, this is a huge pro if you are adding to an existing flock (also shorter time to wait for them to be big enough to add in with older birds and shorter time to POL.

 

[SimplyLivinthatFarmLife]

When I started with chickens about 2 years ago, I started with pullets because I was anxious to get eggs. Since that time I have gotten chicks. If you don't mind cleaning up a lot and filling and re-filling food and water containers, then chicks might be for you. I enjoy being able to bond with the chicks.