Hello all. Picking up chicks in one week!

[jak252]

Hi All

I have spent a lot of time on this site over the past 6 months gathering information. Very thankful for all the information that is available to me. My wife and I and our 12 year old twin girls are doing the chicken thing for the first time. We are picking up 10 chicks next Tuesday. Food and accessories and brooder are ready to go. I will begin building the coop (which has been built and rebuilt in my head several times over) once all of this snow in Northern Massachusetts goes away.

Anyway, thanks for all of the valuable information on this site that all of you have contributed to. If there is anyone on here from my general area (Haverhill, MA) that would be open to chatting and answering questions, that would be great! Feel free to message me or post in here if you would be willing to have some questions bounced off of you if they come up.

Thanks for the great forum
Jak

 

[Outpost JWB]

What breed(s) are you getting?

I started out with 6 hens a few years ago.......Now we have 58 and getting ready to fire up the incubator! You'll learn all about chicken math

 

[CHIARA10]

Excited for you!
We pick up chicks (our first time, too) in a month!
My hubby has also mental-built the coop many times, but still needs to produce the physical.
This site has been so helpful to me as well.

I am no longer in MA, but since i grew up military, I lived on the Cape for five years. Cool area!

By the way, what kind of chicks did you get? Deciding on breed was the hardest thing for me!

 

[Outpost JWB]

Many times that happens here as well. We get more chickens & the housing isn't ready yet

It happens.

Welcome @CHIARA10 ! What breeds are you looking to get?

 

[jak252]

We are getting 2 each of the following:

Americauna
Barred Plymouth Rock
Golden Comet
Buff Orpington
Black Sex Link

 

[CHIARA10]

Thanks!
We are getting two Easter Eggers, two Light Brahmas, and one Black Jersey Giant!
I don't even have them yet and I'm paranoid about the hawks getting our girls!!!

 

[CHIARA10]

Very cool! I love the way the Barred Rock and the Orpingtons look!

 

[Outpost JWB]

Nice! I have a lot of the breeds you both are getting. Hawks are a risk especially if the chickens free range. Mine do & I have lost a few. Nature of the beast, as they say.

 

[CHIARA10]

This is what I hear.
I was hoping that since I'll be literally standing outside with them while gardening in our .5 acre yard, that a hawk wouldn't come for them.
Is this a totally naive way of thinking?
I'm only getting five chickens and would like to keep five chickens!

 

[jak252]

These guys will have a covered 8x14 run so they will be protected. But, once the weather is nicer we will let them free range in the backyard, so hawks could be an issue.

I have heard that even though they are sold as Americaunas, they are more likely Easter Eggers.....