Boppo
Crossing the Road
Hi, Nikki, and welcome to BYC. Best wishes and congratulations on your new little farmstead.
Here are a few articles about chickens that I found helpful as I started keeping hens. I hope you find them useful!
Ventilation (important to chicken health), with helpful links to coop designs organized by climate (because what is just right for my New England hens won't work for my brother's Arizona chickens)
Farmers Almanac on Building Coops (Includes size requirements!) Allowing plenty of space for chickens is really important because, even as chicks, they will start pecking each other or plucking their own feathers, or become unhealthy if they are overcrowded. Here is a link to Colorado State Extension's publication on space and temperature requirements for chicks as they age.
Predator protection for new & existing coops
Dealing with a muddy coop and run
Gardening for chickens
BYC Lists of Chicken Ailments and Cures
To look for articles on your own:
A. Use the SEARCH button, but use the Advanced Search choice, and select ARTICLES at the top of the box. Just enter your keyword(s) and scroll through your results!
B. I find it helpful to notice the rating and reviews. All articles are by BYC members, and all the reviews/ratings are as well. The ratings help a newbie like me sort the most useful and reliable articles.
C. You can bookmark the articles or posts you think you want to refer to again using that bookmark icon at the top of articles or posts. You can find them again by clicking on your own avatar and looking at the list of bookmarks you have built up!
We also have a duck forum, and each forum has an index of "sticky topics" that are always worth checking out! I also like this "tips and tricks for keeping ducks"
Best wishes from New England. And any photos you care to share, stories of your bird adventures are much appreciated here!
Here are a few articles about chickens that I found helpful as I started keeping hens. I hope you find them useful!
Ventilation (important to chicken health), with helpful links to coop designs organized by climate (because what is just right for my New England hens won't work for my brother's Arizona chickens)
Farmers Almanac on Building Coops (Includes size requirements!) Allowing plenty of space for chickens is really important because, even as chicks, they will start pecking each other or plucking their own feathers, or become unhealthy if they are overcrowded. Here is a link to Colorado State Extension's publication on space and temperature requirements for chicks as they age.
Predator protection for new & existing coops
Dealing with a muddy coop and run
Gardening for chickens
BYC Lists of Chicken Ailments and Cures
To look for articles on your own:
A. Use the SEARCH button, but use the Advanced Search choice, and select ARTICLES at the top of the box. Just enter your keyword(s) and scroll through your results!
B. I find it helpful to notice the rating and reviews. All articles are by BYC members, and all the reviews/ratings are as well. The ratings help a newbie like me sort the most useful and reliable articles.
C. You can bookmark the articles or posts you think you want to refer to again using that bookmark icon at the top of articles or posts. You can find them again by clicking on your own avatar and looking at the list of bookmarks you have built up!
We also have a duck forum, and each forum has an index of "sticky topics" that are always worth checking out! I also like this "tips and tricks for keeping ducks"
Best wishes from New England. And any photos you care to share, stories of your bird adventures are much appreciated here!