Hi all-- Glad to have found you! I'm new to this -- both the site and chickens! -- so I'd appreciate any help you can offer. We don't have any chickens yet, but are planning to start our first flock this spring. I have more questions than this space can possibly hold. What advice would you offer a beginner? Once we have a good, safe coop built, what comes next? How many chickens should I start with? Do I need a rooster if we don't want chicks (at least until we're more experienced)? How much time will we need to spend each day on egg-gathering, feeding, watering, interacting, cleaning, upkeep, etc.? Where should I get my first chickens? Are there people here who raise chickens for meat as well as eggs? How do I know the eggs I'm collecting are good for eating? Any good site recommendations for ducks (we're thinking about ducks as well). Are we in over our heads? Any other hard-earned wisdom or advice you can offer? Thanks to all!
You don't need a rooster, but a good rooster really takes care of his girls. As long as you feed them well and keep an eye on them to be sure they are healthy, the eggs will be great for eating. Once everything is set up you can get away with 5 or 10 minutes a day, or you can get hooked, put a seat and cup holder in the run, and spend endless time in there. Enjoy BYC!
Hi and from Ohio. So glad you joined. You've come to the right place. This link should help you out. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-faqs-the-frequent-asked-questions-of-raising-chickens Good luck.
Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan The above link to the frequently asked questions section should help a lot.
