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EchoSierra

In the Brooder
Apr 27, 2021
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Hello everyone! I am brand new to chickens. šŸ˜ My husband was sent to Tractor Supply a couple days before Easter to get a cute pair of pink rain boots for our little girl and he came home with four baby chicks! It was a big surprise to all of us. I have been working very hard trying to play catch up learning as much as I can about raising chickens. He bought them in a straight run so we had no idea what gender any of them were and he had to call back to Tractor Supply to find out what breeds they were. We have two barred Plymouth Rocks and two buff Brahma's. Going off of behavior, we believe we have three boys and a girl. We are thinking about trying to find another hen of one of the breeds so we have two layers, but it is hard because Tractor Supply won't sell less than four at a time and most other places either don't have our breeds or they do, but they are straight run.

We are currently attempting to build a chicken coop with the help of my dad. I found Back Yard Chickens while searching how to build coops and what chickens need in a coop. I decided to create an account because I found myself coming back multiple times with new questions all the time. I haven't had them very long so I guess so far my favorite part is the cute little cheeps and trill noises they make and how curious and friendly they are. We have one in particular that is always looking for attention. As soon as you get near he runs over and he will climb right into your hand. As for other hobbies, I like reading and playing video games and my husband mostly plays video games. We live in Michigan and we have 4 chicks, 3 kids, 2 cats, and 1 dog.

If you have any advice for someone just starting out I would appreciate it, also, if there is something weird or interesting that you never knew before getting chickens that you learned, I wanna know that too! Thank you for letting me join this community. I'm excited to learn everything there is to know about chickens!
 

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First, congratulations on joining the wonderful world of chicken raising and on joining a community of smart, generous people who will answer your questions, offer suggestions and provide support when you have challenges.

Baby chicks grow so fast, and I have some that are outgrowing their brooder faster than I can get a new coop built (yeah, I should have done THAT the other way around). If you have a large wire dog crate, you can (weather permitting), put them outside in that to let them experience the great outdoors and relieve the boredom of a small brooder.

I have a "playpen" made of bended cattle panels wrapped in chicken wire (it's not predator proof, but they are only in it when I am outside with them). They are never eager to go back inside to the brooder, but the new coop has a floor and walls now, so we're getting close.

In coop building, no matter where you are in Michigan, I'm guessing your winters aren't a lot more pleasant than north central Iowa's, so make sure the coop keeps your chickens warm without trapping too much chicken-generated moisture inside. Ventilation is essential. Make sure the doors can't be opened by predators, including pesky raccoons with nimble, little fingers. Hardware cloth is among a chicken-keeper's best friends.

I hope you can get more females. Some people don't want more than one rooster because aggressive behavior can be a problem. It isn't always. We had more than one roo at a time when I was growing up; it at least seemed that roosters who grew up together were often able to get along.

I know that's true with my runner ducks. I only have 7 hens to 3 drakes, but two of the boys grew up together, and if there's any disagreements -- which are rare -- it's generally between the older boys and the young upstart, who quickly backs down.

Welcome to BYC, where members like me like to give long-winded answers to newbies! Best of luck with your chicks (who are darned cute) and your build. Let us know how it goes.
 

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