Heya! - New member here! And new to chickenasuaruses! QC Canada

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NixSiren

NixSiren

Chirping
Jan 7, 2022
5
55
54
Cantley, QC. CA
Hello Everyone from Cantley Quebec Canada!

I am not new to animals but I am definitely new to chickens (outside of playing in their coop and chasing them as a horrible demon child). We just moved to Cantley and it turns out many of our neighbours have backyard chickens which is thrilling! Because I've always wanted some egg layers of my own. They are sooo ridiculous! And interesting with their social hierarchy and cuuuuute!!!

Currently, I live with my Husky Pup (4 yr M) and 3 cats, and my very patient husband. I have had a variety of pets my entire life and worked at an exotic pet store while in university, oh and worked on a farm while in high school. I'm not new to lizard poo, from what I recall from being a kid, chickens are close in line with that genera of gross.


I have joined this site to learn learn learn before we take the plunge and bring in some of our own goofy fluffty-tufft chickens. Some of the first questions I have are;

- what breeds are best for my climate? (super hot summers and super cold winters)
- will I be able to build a coop that can help them to manage the temperature swings? I roughly know the answer is yes, what with everyone around owning chickens, but I'm here for the best advice!
- how many coorkahs (chickens) should I start with? I think at 6 or so, right - to keep them socially happy?
- I suspect I'll need to avoid the roo's due to their noise - can my potential flock be content without a male? Is there an advantage to having roo's outside of fertilizing eggs?

Those are my starting questions, thanks so much for encouraging the intro!

More about me;

My undergrad degree is in Philosophy and Political Theory - and from there I branched out into many different fields. I am currently a DSO in a rapidly growing business, it's been a whirlwind of rapid growth in the last 3 years and it's been a lot of fun being close to the helm in that growth. Otherwise, I have an interesting background in work for example at one point I travelled across Canada and taught at Highschools (a different high school every day for 2 years). I've worked in IT at Apple as a tier 2 CPU technician... worked in Radio for 4 years, taught art while in university... the list goes on. Throughout that time I've always had animals in my life and am very excited to learn more about chicken husbandry.

Thanks for taking the time,
Nix
 
Hello, Nix, and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.
NixSiren said:
- what breeds are best for my climate? (super hot summers and super cold winters)
Click to expand...
Stick to larger bodied birds with small single combs, rose or pea combs. I have successfully kept Rocks, Australorps, Easter Eggers, Welsummers, Marans, Salmon Faverolles and SF mixes. All do well.
NixSiren said:
- will I be able to build a coop that can help them to manage the temperature swings? I roughly know the answer is yes, what with everyone around owning chickens, but I'm here for the best advice!
Click to expand...
Build a large walk-in style coop with plenty of year round high ventilation and roost height windows that can be open during summer and closed during winter.
NixSiren said:
- how many coorkahs (chickens) should I start with? I think at 6 or so, right - to keep them socially happy?
Click to expand...
6 is a nice size starter flock.
NixSiren said:
- I suspect I'll need to avoid the roo's due to their noise - can my potential flock be content without a male? Is there an advantage to having roo's outside of fertilizing eggs?
Click to expand...
Plenty of flocks get by just fine without a rooster.
I love roosters and have 3 along with 23 hens. They are great lookouts and help put the ladies to roost at days end. I think my hens would be lost without their senior rooster.
 
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Welcome to BYC! I hope you find yourself at home here.
NixSiren said:
- what breeds are best for my climate? (super hot summers and super cold winters)
Click to expand...
You'd actually be surprised how cold hardy chickens are. They can withstand temperatures down to -20F without any supplemental heat. Of course, you need to have an adequate coop with plenty of space, wind block, and adequate ventilation. How cold do your winters get? Chickens do have a harder time with the heat, so adding lots of shade, misters, frozen water bowls to the run will be beneficial if it gets over 75 degrees. We had 100 degree temps last year, which is uncommon for our area. The chickens did alright but its stressful for them. I highly suggest you go the articles section and look a few about keeping chickens in cold climates, and warm climates. Theres some really good info out there. :)
NixSiren said:
- will I be able to build a coop that can help them to manage the temperature swings? I roughly know the answer is yes, what with everyone around owning chickens, but I'm here for the best advice!
Click to expand...
Yes! You'll want to have a completely predator proof coop, with lots of ventilation, and plenty of space. You need 2sq. ft of space in the coop per bird, and 10 sq. ft of space in the run. More if possible. You also need 1ft of ventilation per bird. Ventilation is very important, because it allows air to circulate in the coop. If you don't have enough, then the coop will be very moist in the winter, causing frostbite, and very humidity/hot in the summer. Looking in the articles section at some of the amazing coops BYC members have built would be helpful as well. They also feature a new coop every week on the home page.
NixSiren said:
- how many coorkahs (chickens) should I start with? I think at 6 or so, right - to keep them socially happy?
Click to expand...
As many as your ready for, but make sure to build a coop and run plenty big enough for chicken math!
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Trust me, you'll start small and end up with 20. :lol:
When planning on getting chickens, think of it this way, the minimum is 3. 2 is a pare, 3 is a flock. You don't want to get 2 because 1) Thats not enough to keep you satisfied, and 2) if you loose one in your endeavor, you'll have one lonely chicken. 6 sounds like a great starting point! The perfect little flock with room for error.
NixSiren said:
- I suspect I'll need to avoid the roo's due to their noise - can my potential flock be content without a male? Is there an advantage to having roo's outside of fertilizing eggs?
Click to expand...
If you have close neighbor's, its definitely something you want to consider. But do you live somewhere that doesn't allow roosters? Because if you get chicks, its close to impossible to end up without the accidental roo. You'll fall in love with him as well. I would talk to my neighbor's and as them what they think about you getting a rooster. Maybe offer fresh eggs on occasion in trade for the noise? I think a lot of people don't mind honestly, so that will be something you'll want to ask them about.
Your flock can be perfectly happy without one. Though your gonna be the one who will want one eventually. ;)
Advantages, sometimes predator protection. If you get a really good roo, they can be great at keeping the hens safe. My rooster does a fantastic job at protecting my hens. If he sees a bird of prey in the sky, he leads them all into the bushes before I even know its there. Not all roosters are perfect like that though. They also wont, "protect" the hens. They wont fight a predator to keep them safe.
They are gorgeous though, and a really amazing addition the flock. Plus, you get to save a life. A lot of roosters are eaten because there are to many. If you end up with no roosters and decide to get one from someone else, your saving that rooster. Or if you end up with a rooster in your batch and decide to keep him, you could be saving his life since roosters are very hard to rehome.
If you have any more questions feel free to ask! Again Welcome to BYC, and good luck in your chicken journey!
Sorry for the long post btw. :p
 

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