Hello

[Chicken Rick1]

Hello,

My Wife and I are in the process of building our first chicken coop, this will be the first time either of us have had chickens. We live in the Norhtwoods of Wisconsin and think it would be nice to have some more pets and fresh eggs. We’re thinking about starting out with 4 chickens and going from there, not sure what breeds to get yet.

We have 6 dogs, 2 cats and we do a lot of foster and rescue work, currently we have one foster now with a broken leg, hoping to find him a good home once he’s healed up. Not sure how everyone will take to the chickens but I’m hopeful they will become part of the pack, but just in case the chicken run will be gated off from the rest of the fenced in yard.

My Wife manages her family’s bait shop and bartends, I’m self-employed in the IT field and catering business. Not sure how this sounds but my specialty is BBQ rotisserie chicken. Was looking for a new hobby to help relax and something that we would enjoy and we landed on getting chickens.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC - thanks for joining us. Whatever breeds you decide on (personally, I'd for a selection, rather than one breed) I'd keep your speciality under wraps

You'll find lots of info in the Learning Centre - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/learning-center.11/ and if you have a specific topic in mind, just type it in the search box - there's a wealth of information on past and present threads.

Each week, various topics are discussed, which can also be a great resource - https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive

You may wish to consider joining your state thread as it will put you in touch with other BYC members in your area - http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/270925/find-your-states-thread#post_3239224 - this may be helpful in determining which breeds may do best in your area (just decide whether you want eye-candy or lots of eggs when it comes to breed selection).

All the best

CT

 

[barred2rock]

Hello &

CTKen, pretty much covered it all. Hope you enjoy your stay and enjoy your new birds as much as I enjoy mine.

 

[Kiki]

Chickens are wonderful pets!
Make sure you build a secure coop, that will keep the critters and pups out.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Lots of fun breeds out there. I am a big fan of the Orpington breed (Buff Orpington and Black Australorp, and other Orps) This breed is very docile and hardy. They are less prone to health issues, they tolerate heat and cold, they are super layers and they LOVE human attention! If you start them out early, they make wonderful lap warmers. After sitting on my lap, they follow me around like drooling puppies. Ha!

Which ever breed you choose, enjoy all your poultry adventures and welcome to our roost!

 

[Chicken Rick1]

Chickens are wonderful pets!
Make sure you build a secure coop, that will keep the critters and pups out.

Yep, the run will be fenced and gated off from the rest of the yard, hopefully they will all get along giving the chickens tons of room.

 

[Sharwig]

Welcome from Idaho! I agree with CTKen, a mixed flock is great and you'll end up with a variety of colored eggs. I love my Auracana's for the blue/green eggs they produce!

Have fun with your new adventure!

 

[drumstick diva]

Chickens are usually better off IF they never come in contact with dogs or cats, etc.

You never hear of a chicken killing a dog or cat. But if you follow this thread often enough you will hear about the pet dog/cat that massacred their flock,etc.

A lot of folks just buy more chicks because they are cheap and the cycle repeats itself.

 

[theoldchick]

Wow! With all you have going on I'm surprised you have time for a hobby! Welcome to our flock!