Hello from NC coast!

Date sort Score sort
LemonHead

LemonHead

Hatching
6 Years
Jun 22, 2013
8
0
7
Hi guys! I'm a newbie to raising chickens and I'll be getting my chicks the week of July 15th from Murray McMurray and I can't wait! We are building our coop this week and hopefully setting up our brooder in our unfinished addition next weekend. I thought I would say hello and introduce myself, I'm sure I'll be here often with questions. I've already learned so much from this site!
 
Last edited:
welcome-byc.gif
 
Thanks, guys! I will admit I'm a but nervous about receiving them in the mail. I'd hate to open the box and find that some didn't make it.
sad.png
I'm hoping that risk is minimal since it's summer and they shouldn't get too cold... but we will see.

First question, and maybe this belongs in another thread (I'll be happy to move along if it does), but living in NC we have hot, humid summers and very mild winters. I think we had maybe 3 days where it got below freezing last year. So, I'm worried about ventilation. My plan is to have vents cut along the length of 3 sides of my coop, close to the top, in long rectangles covered with hardware mesh. On the 4th side there will be an actual window that can be opened or shut. I think this will provide adequate ventilation, but I don't want it to get too chilly in winter. For the few days it does get cold here, do I need to be prepared to cover the vents or will a heat lamp suffice? We already plan to hook up power to the coop and have a heat lamp available, so that's an easier solution for me IF it will suffice. Plus, from all I've read I'm kind of paranoid about not having adequate ventilation.
 
welcome-byc.gif


Your plans for ventilation sounds fine. Just make sure the coop is draught free, especially in winter. Over the summer months and winter, if it's a mild night, I'd leave the window open a bit as well. But make sure you cover that with hardware cloth as well. You don't need to put a heatlamp in there over winter, unless you have chicks or molting hens that doesn't have adequate feathers to keep them warm. Fully feathered chickens on the other hand will be just fine.
 
LemonHead said:
I will admit I'm a but nervous about receiving them in the mail....
Click to expand...
I felt the same way about getting fertile hatching eggs. One thing I recommend is contacting the postmaster at your post office. Meet with him / her personally and let them know that you will be receing live chicks; most times, they will work with you as best as possible. If you have a tracking number for your chicks, it will assist with the postmaster to locate your shipment quickly. I've made arrangements to be at the post office when it opens on the day my shipment is due to arrive.

I've read the remainder of your posts here; glad to see nothing has changed on the NC Coast. I used to live in Onslow County, and summer started in May and ended in October.
Good luck with your new flock, and welcome to BYC!
James
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom