Good morning, BYC friends!

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Glad to meet you, New England neighbor! Good for you, planning ahead. It's a lot to learn and you'll be glad for all the work you do ahead of time. Here are a few of my favorite starting out articles.
All articles are short, and have illustrations, and reviews, which are often worth looking at for the comments.

1. Intro to chicken keeping

2. Common mistakes & how to fix them

3. Ventilation (important to chicken health), with helpful links to coop designs organized by climate (because what is just right for my New England hens won't work for my brother's Arizona chickens)

4. Predator protection for new & existing coops

5. Dealing with a muddy coop and run

6. Winter chicken care

7. My personal notes about where to place a chicken coop and run.
If you can, put these on higher ground, so any rain or snow will eventually drain away from the chickens.
If you can, place the coop so your prevailing breezes go through the ventilation, but prevailing storm winds are blocked. You can double check with National Weather Service for your area, but here in south central part of eastern Massachusetts (that's a mouthful), our breezes go north-south and storms trend north east/south west.
You will want some shade for your run and coop (eventually it DOES get hot, remember?), but probably will want it to be deciduous, so you can get the sun in the fall and winter.

To look for articles on your own:

A. Use the SEARCH button, but use the Advanced Search choice, and select ARTICLES at the top of the box. Just enter your keyword(s) and scroll through your results!

B. I find it helpful to notice the rating and reviews. All articles are by BYC members, and all the reviews/ratings are as well. The ratings help a newbie like me sort the most useful and reliable articles.

C. You can bookmark the articles or posts you think you want to refer to again using that bookmark icon at the top of articles or posts. You can find them again by clicking on your own avatar and looking at the list of bookmarks you have built up!

Best wishes for your plans and eventual chickens! Please stay in touch and send us pictures when you get your birds!
 
Idaho Chicken Bungalow said:
Welcome to the coop! I use the Forums and Articles tabs at the top of the page to do research. You can get lost for hours. It's nice to know you are minutes away from getting help with questions and emergencies!
Gentle suggestions:
Do you want a colorful basket of eggs? Choose different breeds. I decided I wanted different colored eggs and rare breeds. That's how 6 chickens turned into 14 chickens. Look at online hatcheries for breed types.
Build bigger because of chicken math! The prefab coops and runs online and in stores are a waste of money. Look for a wooden shed to convert into a coop. This way you can walk in the coop.
Consider birds that are tolerant to your climate.
Click to expand...
Yes! I've already spent HOURS here today! I learned that I need a brooder, for instance. I'm so thankful for all the shared knowledge and genuine care!
 
Boppo said:
Glad to meet you, New England neighbor! Good for you, planning ahead. It's a lot to learn and you'll be glad for all the work you do ahead of time. Here are a few of my favorite starting out articles.
All articles are short, and have illustrations, and reviews, which are often worth looking at for the comments.

1. Intro to chicken keeping

2. Common mistakes & how to fix them

3. Ventilation (important to chicken health), with helpful links to coop designs organized by climate (because what is just right for my New England hens won't work for my brother's Arizona chickens)

4. Predator protection for new & existing coops

5. Dealing with a muddy coop and run

6. Winter chicken care

7. My personal notes about where to place a chicken coop and run.
If you can, put these on higher ground, so any rain or snow will eventually drain away from the chickens.
If you can, place the coop so your prevailing breezes go through the ventilation, but prevailing storm winds are blocked. You can double check with National Weather Service for your area, but here in south central part of eastern Massachusetts (that's a mouthful), our breezes go north-south and storms trend north east/south west.
You will want some shade for your run and coop (eventually it DOES get hot, remember?), but probably will want it to be deciduous, so you can get the sun in the fall and winter.

To look for articles on your own:

A. Use the SEARCH button, but use the Advanced Search choice, and select ARTICLES at the top of the box. Just enter your keyword(s) and scroll through your results!

B. I find it helpful to notice the rating and reviews. All articles are by BYC members, and all the reviews/ratings are as well. The ratings help a newbie like me sort the most useful and reliable articles.

C. You can bookmark the articles or posts you think you want to refer to again using that bookmark icon at the top of articles or posts. You can find them again by clicking on your own avatar and looking at the list of bookmarks you have built up!

Best wishes for your plans and eventual chickens! Please stay in touch and send us pictures when you get your birds!
Click to expand...
Thank you so much! I appreciate the warm support for my enthusiasm and desire to learn! And yes, I'll be posting pictures nonstop, seeking information, and boasting about my birds! :)
 

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