We're total newbies to raising chickens, haven't even started yet. Can anyone point me in the direction of some good chicken raising books or anything? How many hens should I start with? We want to keep them for fresh eggs, we are a family of four. Excuse my total newbie-ness. I'm trying to spend the winter preparing myself for spring.
Welcome to the board - I am fairly new to this board as well - so maybe my experience can help you pick up how to make the most of the board with a few less stumbles... First of all please read the FAQ's about the board itself and then move on to the questions about raising birds below. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=1198 Then go to the Index and open the forums that are relevant to your chickie needs. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/index.php Always look at the "stickies" first - these are topics that are high priority topics and post with links to additional information. Also, the "recent posts," is a great tool to see only the new posts since your last visit. As questions come up, try to search the forum first, as most likely your questions has been asked and answered by the veterans on the board. Try using the Search function in the upper right corner to do research on your question first - be general in this, for example "bedding for chicks," "curled toes", "selecting breeds." If you are still unclear; post your question, qualifying first - "I have used the search function but still have a question. As far as reading, my first two resources were,"Living with Chickens" and "Chickens in Your Backyard." For selecting a breed, here is a great start http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html Hope this helps! Good luck - this place is so much fun! Enjoy.
Sarah, the number of chickens you get is totally up to you and the laws in your neck of the woods. If you want a lot of eggs, I would suggest 6 or more.
