Hello from lancaster pa,

[TinaSwarr]

Will be getting some layers in a couple weeks, will surely have questions. have raised hogs in past, and had two batches of cornish cross for meat, this will be the first time with layers.this was not part of the original plan so i am scrambling to get things ready in time. got a small kid pool allready have heat lamps from the piggies, they will have to be in my basement for awhile still to cold outside. suggestions please..

 

[sheila3935]

from illinois are you getting chicks or grown layers? If chicks you are off to a good start get some chick starter to feed them if they are day olds I line my brooder with paper towel for about a week the switch to shavings

 

[sgtmom52]

Hi neighbor &

from across the Susquehanna in York County!

 

[ChickyLaura]

Hello from another neighbor in Schuylkill County - but I work about 20 miles from Lancaster!

There is a TON of information on here, you will do great! Just make sure you have the brooder set around 95 degrees with a heat lamp for the first week, decreasing by 5 degrees each week for the first few weeks! And of course plenty of clean water and chick starter. You'll do fine!!!

 

[TinaSwarr]

this all started because the local school is doing a few hatchings and they wanted to make sure they had someplace for the birds to go afterwards....husband would like 10 to 12 so if we do not get that many from the school he says he will just go get some chicks. so as of now i have no way of knowing exactly what kind we will end up with,,,all i know about the ones at the school is they are on day 9 of incubation and they came from a local hatchery called hy line.. and since i am recently unemployed he is finding me all sorts of work,,,garden size tripled this year. husband was raised on a hog and cattle farm, me on the other hand have very little experience.

 

[ChickyLaura]

I think that whatever breed they turn out to be, you will fall in love... I didn't think this little "hobby" would turn out the way it did, but now I'm selling eggs to co-workers, and raising my first batch of meat chickens. I also just received 4 Turkeys from Ideal this morning for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We have been raising chickens for 2 years now. I've learned a lot, but still have a lot to learn! We are now in the planning stages of building a fancy chicken run/grape arbor. And my husband is now addicted to certain parts of BYC - there's a thread he's watching now by someone from Texas who has strange tracks showing up outside of their coop at night!

You will learn as you go with chickens. If you "dote" over them, they will become fairly tame and friendly. You will find a lot of pleasure just watching them run around as chicks, and forage when they get older! If you have any questions as you go along, you can just hop on BYC and use the search feature to get what information you are looking for. My meat birds are only a little over a week old, but as they get older they just kind of lay around. You won't have that with layer hens! They are funny to watch!

Have fun!!!

 

[ghillie]

 

[Wild Trapper]

from Ohio

 

[dawg53]

Welcome to BYC.

 

[Attack Chicken]

from Indiana!

AC