Hello All I am Brand new to the forum and Brand new to chickens!!(Besides eating them)

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darrylwill1

darrylwill1

Chirping
Aug 4, 2020
17
43
69
Maidens, Va 23102
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
yes my wife and I are brand new to the point that we haven't bought any yet so we thought we would educate ourselves first by talking to those who already know what they are doing.

(2) How many chickens do you have right now? 0

(3) What breeds do you have? 0

(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens? We just bought a house with 10acres that already has a small chicken coop and we have wanted to raise some chickens for both the eggs as well as eating for a healthier diet lifestyle.

(5) What are some of your other hobbies? Fishing and making music

(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share. My wife is on disability from a work accident and I work for myself and have for a good 35 years or so. I run a cabinet business. We have 9 children all grown with 11 grandkids and counting. Working on a new pet and are finally moving out to the country back to my roots.

(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community? :D I found BYC on facebook today from the search bar and joined today because we want to know what we are doing.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!

You have definitely come to the right place for all the fun and learning! Stop by our Learning Center for all kinds of good reading, https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/ and browse the forums for active discussions. Make yourself at home here and ask as many questions as needed. Welcome aboard!
 
Probably too much, sorry. 😅 Welcome! I probably should’ve saved this for later, but I guess it’s written out now. 🤦🏼‍♀️
I’ll give you some tips (a lot to take in, beware).

When buying chicks, I suggest don’t buy from a feed store or a hatchery if possible. It’ll make your life easier by not having dead chickens 2years +. I would start with maybe 10 chicks, preferably pullets, not Sexlinks, Isas, or Comets.
When putting your chicks in a brooder, I recommend a dog play pen with pine shavings, 20-24% chick starter, a brooder plate, water that is shallow so the chicks don’t drown (but a waterer from TS or something). And I keep them in there till 5 weeks.
1 week- 95 degrees F
2 weeks- 90 degrees F
3 weeks- 85 degrees F
4 weeks- 80 degrees F
5 weeks- 75 degrees F
Then for your coop, you need nesting boxes, roosting bars, and a well sheltered area which is your coop. Hardware cloth everywhere and lining the bottom of the coop for about a foot around the coop. You’ll need a run eventually, which is where the food and water will go, but that comes with the coop if you buy a good one.
Once 16-20 weeks old, I would switch to layer feed gradually and you should expect eggs soon.

Now, breeds I recommend are Barred Rocks. My personal favorite for laying eggs, with good sweet temperament. Ask around for breeders (who breed HERITAGE breeds) near you. Then get some then.
 

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