Hi from ATX

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IdesofBlue

IdesofBlue

In the Brooder
Mar 6, 2015
10
0
24
Austin, TX
Hello BYC! I've been lurking here for several months, and have only just made an account. I turn 30 on the 15th and this new hobby is my grown up birthday gift to myself. I live in Austin, TX and I am in the process of building a coop so I can start my flock. I want to get about 4 australorps when it's completed. I want chickens for the natural, cruelty-free, fresh eggs. When my coop is finished, I plan on ordering from mypetchicken. I plan on getting chicks because they are cheaper. About how long before they can go in the coop? And it's about a year before they start laying?

One pretty important question that may affect the timing of ordering my chicks... I am going out of town for a weekend in April and a week in the end of May. Will chicks be OK unattended for the weekend? If I order soon, will they be in the coop by nearly June? Do I need to have someone check on them every day?

Thanks in advance, I am so excited to get started and be a part of this wonderful community!
 
Hi and welcome to BYC!
frow.gif


It's usually recommended to make the move to the coop once the chicks feather out, around 4-5 weeks old I believe. As for laying, some start around 4 1/2 to 5 months and some take longer to begin. If you're going to be out of town for a weekend or longer, I'd find someone to check in on them...chickens are curious little things and they can get themselves into trouble.

There are a lot of good articles about raising new chicks in the Learning Center, check it out:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/getting-started-raising-chickens

Good luck with your little ones!
 
Thank you! For some reason I thought it was ~2 months before they moved into the coop. Thank you for the link, I am having some trouble viewing the full learning center on my phone. I have read a couple articles already, but now that it's getting closer to the big day I am thinking about smaller details.
 
They can go into the coop when they are feathered at around 8 weeks. They will start to lay at around 6 months. Some earlier and some later. Watch out for Chicken Math!
 
Chicken math...chickens are addictive!

As for laying, ours were hatched in April and began laying in August, so around 4 1/2 to 5 months. It will vary depending on a lot of factors (breed, diet, etc.).
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! X3 It is a good idea to have somebody at least check on the chicks every day if you can in case something goes wrong, out of water, predator problem, etc.
When they are older it's also a good idea to have eggs collected once a day so you don't wind up with too many in the nests and them getting broken and eaten.
 
Welcome to BYC!
welcome-byc.gif
I'm glad you joined our community.

You've received some good advice already! Good luck with your future chicks.
 

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