Hey! I'm New with questions.

Ruralgrl

Chirping
Mar 1, 2018
11
15
71
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
I am brand new to chickens. I just picked some up a few days ago.

(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
I have 6 little chicks. They are about 13 days old today. I'm kind of mad at myself for not buying around 10 knowing that I may loose a few to predators etc.

(3) What breeds do you have?
4 are australorps and the other 2 are black ISAs but I couldn't find much online on black ISAs so I'm not sure if that is what they actually are. lol They are all black. I will likely post a picture of them when they get bigger and maybe ya'll can help identify them.

(4) How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com?
I was googling chicken questions of course. lol

(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
I have a 4 year old. He is my hobby. hahaha Umm well I love to read/research, I like to crochet and I love music. We are going to be homeschooling so I know a lot of my time will be taken up with that and animals. lol But both things I love so not a bad bargain for me. :)

(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share
I've got 2 dogs, an 11 year old male Boston Terrier/Beagle mix and a almost 3 year old female bloodhound. She is a handful. I got her used to our cat we got a year ago fairly easily and she has no problem with him. I've already started introducing her to the chicks slowly in hopes she will watch them grow and recognize them as family not food or fun things to chase. lol We will see how that goes. Any suggestions for training a hunting breed to leave chickens alone? We got Enzo our cat a little over a year ago. He's almost 2 years old now. He is the sweetest and most mellow cat. Seriously the best cat and animal in general I've had in a long time. lol Family wise it's just my husband, myself and our 4 year old. We aren't having any more kids. He's pretty mellow and easy going. I'm a stay at home mama and will be for the unforeseeable future as we are going to homeschool him. :)

7. Does anyone know a good place to find free coop plans?
 
Welcome to byc and enjoy those chicks! I agree, look at the page listed above for coop ideas. And simply search google images as you can get a lot of good ideas.

Some basic coop advice. Make a coop and run that you can walk into! Easier to clean out, ten fold. The minimum numbers are said to be 4sqf per bird in the coop and 10sqf in the run but I think most of us go for more if we can and I know most feel going bigger is better in this case. I find this particularly true in my region because even though I have a covered run and let my chickens free range they simply do not like to leave the coop when it is really cold or snowy. The point being, if your chickens are going to be stuck inside a lot, go big!

Another thing is that coops do not have to be super expensive or elaborate. Hoop coops work well for many. (Worth googling.) I have talked to a few people in the New England area that have managed to winterize theirs. Also, used sheds on craigs list and the like are a good way to go as well! Be creative!
 
Hello and welcome to BYC and congrats on your new littles.

Here’s a link to the Articles section - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/ There you’ll find lots of information on almost every aspect of keeping chickens - from coop building ideas, to incubating eggs.

There’s a link on the page above to the Learning Centre - it’s a great resource. 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 - Find Your State Thread


Best wishes

Pork Pie
 
Greetings and welcome to BYC! So glad you joined us. It's not too late to go back and pick up a few more chicks! You can add more up to the point that there's a 3-4 week difference most times with no issues. Might as well get that chicken math started right away! ;) There's a wealth of info, knowledge and experience shared in the multitude of threads. Browse around and see what interesting stuff you can find. By all means post away when the desire strikes you, especially if you have questions (provide as much detail/info as possible and pictures truly help)... With all the great folks here, generally someone will respond in no time at all. Please make yourself at home!

Oh, if you haven't done so already, PLEASE put at least your general location in your profile. It could be very important if/when you ask for or offer help or advice. You know, climate issues and such. I recommend at least your state as most folks won't be able to figure out where if you put anything more specific (county, town, street, etc) by itself. Old folks like me :old will never remember & look there first. To add it, mouse hover over Account top right and a drop down will appear. Click on Personal Details and scan down. You'll see the spot for Location. Then go to the bottom and save changes. Thanks! Hope you enjoy the site!
 

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