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Hello and welcome to BackYard Chickens! We hope you enjoy your stay here! Do you have any specific questions regarding chicken-keeping? Chickens are complex animals that need a lot of care and hard work put into keeping them, so asking specific questions would help you find the right answers. There are a lot of answers that could fall under the category of "beginner tips."

Here are some fun facts about chickens:
  • Chickens are social animals and need a flock to be happy. Having at least three chickens should suffice, but having even more is better in case some unfortunately pass away. Plus, it gives you an even better view at each of their unique personalities and quirks when you have more chickens.
  • A fact that I find people getting the most surprised about is that chickens have a social hierarchy called the pecking order. It is complex, and each female chicken has her own pecking order rank. Only females are included in this hierarchy, as females and males have separate hierarchies. Chickens must fight and beat each other up to determine their pecking order rank, and this happens throughout each day, as the strengths and weaknesses of each flock member are always changing. A hen who picks on the most flock members will be the most dominant. The hen who gets picked on the most will be the most submissive and weak. It seems harsh, but the pecking order determines who gets the most food and access to important locations, such as nesting spots. Male chickens prefer to mate with the weakest females because they are the most submissive.
  • An adult female chicken is called a hen. An adult male chicken is called a rooster. A female chicken under one year old is called a pullet. A male chicken under one year old is called a cockerel. There are more terms, but these are the most basic.
 
:welcome

Hi, thanks for joining us! Here are a couple of basic beginner tips:
* make sure it's legal to keep a backyard flock before you start
* build your coop & run before you get any birds (chicks grow fast) and build it bigger than you think you'll need

Always feel free to ask questions...just find the appropriate forum and post.
 

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