My name is Terry and I live in Willow Alaska I just got the brilliant idea of starting my first flock the other day. I have neighbors with chickens one of them free ranges and I'm not sure what the other one does. I do have to deal with predators bears, eagles, ravens and fox as well as having a dog kennel. I also have extreme cold to deal with and know absolutely nothing about chickens. To get chickens shipped up here I have to order a minimum of 15 so I want to be as prepared as I can any help will be appreciated
Alright great to have you with us For lock up at night I would make sure it is very tight no holes and on the bottom of your fence get some 1/2" wire that is the size of the holes in the wire and often used in the floring of animal cages ...... This is a excellent cold weather chicken and has relatives in Siberia it is a Russian Orloff you should have at least two of these hens in your order and it produces egg's all winter long and they come in large and small ...... Oh I should add a fair producer of egg's as they lay from my count just over 225 average a year, so really a fair producer not the best like 300 a year but will with stand cold where others wont ......... gander007
I know it seems daunting but they are so worth it. Once they're older the cold won't be too much of a problem if you get the right breed. Chickens are hardy and can withstand temps to -30. With predators like those, you're gonna want a nice secure coop!
Welcome to BYC First off, have a browse through the Learning Center. There are articles on choosing breeds, feeding and housing your flock, predator and pest prevention and much more. To help you choose the right breed look at the Breeds section. On the left you will see boxes you can tick to narrow down the breeds according to your criteria, broodiness, hardiness, etc. For housing ideas, if you feel like building something yourself, have a look at the Coops section for ideas. Enjoy the site!
with predators like those, I would keep them confined in a solidly built enclosed run with top. Maybe even a few strands of electrified wire to persuade predators to go elsewhere. If you go to "where am I, where are you," you can locate and post on the Alaskan thread and find out how people in your area handle the elements and predators.
You also might enjoy chatting with others in your state about how to best keep your birds.... https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/84141/north-to-alaska Great to have you aboard and enjoy BYC!
