HELP please....

[sourland]

The only possible problem that see lies with the Polish. Other chickens tend to pick at the crests of the Polish hens, and it can get quite bad. Sometimes there is no problem, but if they start they generally won't quit. Polish are also more vulnerable to aerial predators if you plan to free-range.

 

[RunninWithScissorBeaks]

When we started rasing chicks last summer, we had a mix of 3 breeds. They got along great, and we were able to learn the characteristics of each breed as they got older. Two of the chicks were polish, one of which has grown into a very friendly bird that occasionally jumps up on shoulders during treat times! Good luck and have fun with your new flock!

 

[Ema]

bit of advice which I am not sure if its been suggested cause I didn't read all the posts, but do not wait until you have your chicks to get the essentials. usually when chicks are ready there is more than one person getting chicks and you risk not being able to get the medicated chick starter or waterer or feeder because they sold out. I would get that stuff a week before your babies are due to be picked up. set up the brooder area in advance and find out where the heat lamp must be to keep the temp at 95 degrees for the first week, and each week after that reduce the heat by 5 degrees.

One poster said they will get along fine as long as they are about the same size I completely agree with that statement. I have Rhode island reds, they can be real sweet, maybe not when they are broody lol.

 

[pwdrummer]

Thanks for the advice, but I still have questions as to fine tune this hobby.
What is considered the "coop"?
Is that the part where the chickens lay their eggs or is it the whole pen and house?
I've heard anywhere from 2sq.ft. - 4sq.ft. per chicken.
I'd like to build a 4'x8' house for them to roost, lay eggs and such with a 8' x 20' x 8' pen for them to run around in.
How many birds am I looking at with this kind of set-up?

 

[TGarcia]

MrsChickendad...thank goodness you told her about the:::::"Scare Mama—play dead chickie!" I've had that happen TOOOOOO many times.

I could not agree more with what was said though....depending on how much room you have...determine the amount of chicks you get. Also I suggest if you have never had chicks before.....start small.... but atleast 2....that is what I started with . You can always add more.

I know chickens are easy to raise.....but seriously......they do take alot of time if you want to raise them right. It takes time every morning and evening to feed and water.....not to mention the time spent to clean coops, and make sure all are healthy and in good condition.

So unless you have enough time and willing to put 150% into it...I say start small, and get a feel for it and see if raising chickens is truely for you. That is what I did.

 

[TGarcia]

If you are not familiar with what a coop is, then maybe you need to read a bit more on raising chickens before you get any.

 

[pwdrummer]

Quote:
Thank you. I'll start small. I've heard from people who don't raise chickens alot of stuff about how chicks die off so you want to bet on half of your chicks actually making it. Think I'll get 4 and see how that goes. As far as time goes, I'm self employed so time is not really an issue.

 

[Luvroos]

and hope you enjoy the forum, lots of helpful and kind people here from all around the globe!

You're beginning like myself, get the chicks and essentials later out of excitement for having them so I must warn you to do your research and get those necessities long before you bring them home! You'l stand less of a chance in losing any!

 

[ginormous chicken]

Alright all, I'm new to the forum and the website and to raising chickens as a whole. I've got a place for a brood, and when I get my chicks I'll pick up all the essentials. First off in the town I live in there is only one store to buy chicks. The variety they have are: Rhode Is. Red Pullets, Silverlaced Wyandotte Pullets, Buff Orpington Pullets, Black sex link pullets, Black Jersey Giant pullets, and Polish Pullets. I guess my question is how many do I need to start off with? I would like to end up with 4-8 at most. Can I have different breeds hangin with others or will they fight? I guess I need to read "Remedial Raising chickens for dummies" LOL...

Hi there and

.

First of all, in the age of technology and the great internet a lot of us buy our chickens on line, eggs and day olds. You are not limited to what is at your chicken store. For smaller orders you can try mypetchicken.com, or myershatchery.com, for larger order you can go with Mcmurray Hatch. Ideal Hatch. there are so many others go look online!

Secondly, you need more than 1. Chickens are social and can't really be alone unless you want to bond with it as its friend/mate!

Thirdly, You can have different breeds together. I myself have a mix flock. You can see the different chickens I have below. I have a couple of bantams in with the big gals. It can be hard on them at times but mostly they get long ( I say mostly.) There was some fighting at the beginning but the plucking stops. The only thing you need to be careful is of is that with a small flock such as 4 or 8. Is to make sure you only have 1 boy roo roo or the fighting will never stop. Roosters will fight!

Good Luck!​

 

[tammyd57]

Quote:
A 4'x8' house (the coop) is just the right size for 8 chickens. If you go by the general rule of thumb that says 4 s.f. per bird indoors. But this also depends where you live, climate-wise, and what your set-up is like. For instance, My coop is 4'x8' but I keep 14 chickens in there. Their nest box isn't in the coop, it's a compost barrel turned into a community nest. One side of my coop is completely open air because we have an extremely hot, dry climate. Not all of my chickens sleep inside the coop, some sleep on top of the carport frame that I used as fence posts for their pen. So, I really only have about 10 chickens that sleep in the coop, and they don't lay in there, so there's actually extra room in the coop.
Now, if you live somewhere that gets very cold, snowy, etc. and your birds will need to be closed up in their coop for any length of time, you want to have as much room in there as you can. Chickens cooped in crowded conditions will often start picking each other or eating their eggs or sometimes will get aggressive with people.
The pen size you mention is more than ample for 8 chickens or even more. I tend to make the pen as big as I possibly can.