Hello! I'm new here!

[Krissy12052]

Hi! So I'm really thinking about getting a couple chickens, so we can have fresh eggs! I know I'm going to put them in a fenced in area in my back yard, and that they need a little coop. I have a Blue Seal right in town and my husband works for Lowes, so getting everything I need should be easy!
What about in the Winter... I live in NH and we get a lot of snow! We got like 5 feet last year... Other than keeping the pen cleared out, do they need anything? Do they need a heater of some kind?
I'm going to have my littles help out with collecting the eggs! I'm really excited about this!

I've never raised chickens before, so any advice would be helpful! Thanks in advance!

 

[Inkheart]

 

[HenCrazyMom]

BYC is a wealth of information. I love reading all the different threads on the forum and have learned alot from members here. Start with the learning center pages and then explore the different threads in the forums for all the info you need and then some.

Best of luck to you

 

[JodyJo]

Welcome, surprised you haven't gotten more replies..so I will...

First off check out this link, https://www.backyardchickens.com/raising-chickens-basics.php

It will guide you to a lot of info.

Second, I live in Colorado at about 8,000 ft, we don't get a ton of snow, but lots of cold temps, -20* +, I use a base heater for my
galvanized waterer all winter...by the winter your chicks should be all feathered out and should not need extra heat, say in a lamp source,
but when you do build the coop, since you have access to Lowes! Add some insulation to the walls, we did (we used part of our barn)
As long as there is no draft coming in, you should be fine. Provide lots of pins shavings and straw for bedding and in the nesting boxes.

You will enjoy the chickens and the little ones will be thrilled to collect eggs.
Question to my 5 yr old (with Down Syndrome)..".Michael where does milk come from? Answer: cows, Michael where does wool come from? Answer: sheep
Michael, where do eggs come from? Answer: our chickens! "

Bless his heart...so educational for the little ones!

If you have ANY questions, they can be answered here on this forum...and NO question is stupid or dumb!

PS we LOVE pics of your babies and when they grow up!!

 

[Krissy12052]

Thanks a bunch! I'm very excited to get started! I'll check out that link in a bit!

 

[kyeschicks]

Welcome to BYC!

I wish I knew the answer to at least one of your questions!

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Welcome. I hope you find this forum as helpful as I did. One important thing I've learned in the past few months that I wish I had understood BEFORE I started building my coop is about chicken wire. I purchased enough chicken wire to cover the top and sides of a 6'X9' run with an additional 4'X8' space under the coop itself and had the wire installed before I started reading the "Predators and Pests" thread of this forum. On that thread I learned that chicken wire is excellent for keeping chickens in but doesn't work very well for keeping predators out. I went back and purchased hardware cloth, which I installed over the chicken wire in the lower half of my run and am hoping that will be enough. Had I done it right the first time, I would have saved both time and money.

Also, because you live in an area that gets a lot of snow, I'd suggest either covering part of your outdoor run (and perhaps throwing a tarp over it during the really snowy months) or perhaps building the coop considerably larger than the minimum square feet required per chicken for indoor space. My understanding is that a lot of the cannibalism and brutality chickens can inflict upon each other is due to boredom and overcrowding, and since they may be confined due to the weather, you want to plan ahead an make sure they have adequate room. Perhaps some of the old timers can chime in on that part.

Good luck.

 

[Krissy12052]

This is the area I'm thinking of using... The hot tub is broken, so we might be getting rid of it, and if we do the Chickens will live in here!

Ha ha Having fun with the smilies!

 

[Krissy12052]

That's a blackberry bush by the fence! ;-)

 

[Krissy12052]

Oh! Also, what kind of chicken do you all recommend?? I just want them for laying eggs!

About how long do they live?