Greetings...!
I am from Nebraska and plan in the next few weeks to start my backyard chicken adventure. I currently do not have anything purchased so I will just tell you all what I have planned and if anyone has helpful suggestions, I'd be happy to hear!
My husband and I are empty nesting parents with 7 kids and 12 grand-kids. I work from home peddling my home sewn creations on Etsy. We love gardening, outdoor living and country life so.. Backyard chickens will just make a great fit...
We have a house/yard on the edge of a small town. It's a great little town and I do have a neighbor who has chickens.
So my plan is to have a brood of 6 laying hens and no rooster.
We have a 15x15+ fenced dog kennel (no dog) behind our garage which is where I plan to have my coop. I am going to buy the Precision Pet hen house locally and put it in the dog kennel. My chickens will have the entire kennel to roam during the day and when they go in at night I will secure them in the coop. I wonder how often I will need to clip their wings to keep them from flying out?
The same store where I get my coop will be getting their baby chicks in soon. I was planning on keeping them in the house till they are old enough to go outside. I am having questions on what food should I buy.
Does feed store food have hormones in it? Is fortified with vitamins a bad thing? I want to be able to get my feed locally rather than have to purchase it by mail. What do I need to watch out for?
Thanks in advance for all help.
Barb
I am from Nebraska and plan in the next few weeks to start my backyard chicken adventure. I currently do not have anything purchased so I will just tell you all what I have planned and if anyone has helpful suggestions, I'd be happy to hear!
My husband and I are empty nesting parents with 7 kids and 12 grand-kids. I work from home peddling my home sewn creations on Etsy. We love gardening, outdoor living and country life so.. Backyard chickens will just make a great fit...
We have a house/yard on the edge of a small town. It's a great little town and I do have a neighbor who has chickens.

We have a 15x15+ fenced dog kennel (no dog) behind our garage which is where I plan to have my coop. I am going to buy the Precision Pet hen house locally and put it in the dog kennel. My chickens will have the entire kennel to roam during the day and when they go in at night I will secure them in the coop. I wonder how often I will need to clip their wings to keep them from flying out?
The same store where I get my coop will be getting their baby chicks in soon. I was planning on keeping them in the house till they are old enough to go outside. I am having questions on what food should I buy.
Does feed store food have hormones in it? Is fortified with vitamins a bad thing? I want to be able to get my feed locally rather than have to purchase it by mail. What do I need to watch out for?
Thanks in advance for all help.

Barb