Howdy Y’all from Oklahoma!

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Welcome from a fellow Okie. I’m in the SE quarter of Oklahoma south of Shawnee. I lived in OKC for years. Glad to be out of that rat race.
I can totally relate with your enjoyment of watching their personalities and interactions. I’ve spent many an hour watching mine. I’ve had a lot of inner reflection during those times. ☺️ . Right now I have a grown flock of one barred rock rooster and 11 hens. Three are Rhode Island reds and three are Easter eggers. The other five are one year old off spring that I hatched last year from those hens. I also have a juvenile group of eleven that are a mixed group of all of them. They are almost eleven weeks old and are so fun to watch interact. They are establishing their hierarchy and it’s so interesting to watch. I will be selling the little Roos. I have three. And I’ll keep a few of my favorites and sell the other pullets at the maud auction. Welcome to BYC!
 
Glad to meet you, and welcome to BYC. Best wishes with your new flock! If you have any photos to share, we all love to admire each other's birds.

Here are my favorite beginning articles that helped me as a newbie. I hope you will find them helpful as well. All articles are short, have illustrations, and reviews, which are often worth looking at for the comments.

1. Intro to chicken keeping

2. Common mistakes & how to fix them

3. Ventilation (important to chicken health), with helpful links to coop designs organized by climate (because what is just right for my New England hens won't work for my brother's Arizona chickens)

3(a). Farmers Almanac on Building Coops (Includes size requirements!) Allowing plenty of space for chickens is really important because, even as chicks, they will start pecking each other or plucking their own feathers, or become unhealthy if they are overcrowded. Here is a link to Colorado State Extension's publication on space and temperature requirements for chicks as they age.

4. Predator protection for new & existing coops

5. Dealing with a muddy coop and run

6. Gardening for chickens

7. BYC Lists of Chicken Ailments and Cures

To look for articles on your own:

A. Use the SEARCH button, but use the Advanced Search choice, and select ARTICLES at the top of the box. Just enter your keyword(s) and scroll through your results!

B. I find it helpful to notice the rating and reviews. All articles are by BYC members, and all the reviews/ratings are as well. The ratings help a newbie like me sort the most useful and reliable articles.

C. You can bookmark the articles or posts you think you want to refer to again using that bookmark icon at the top of articles or posts. You can find them again by clicking on your own avatar and looking at the list of bookmarks you have built up!

Notes about where to put a coop:

1. As far as you can, put a coop and run on high ground, that drains well, so you won't have so much muddy coop problems. Chickens need to be dry, dry, dry.

2. As far as you can, put a coop with the ventilation lined up with your prevailing breezes, and away from the direction of your storms. If you are not sure of these (who is these days?), check with your local National Weather Service website.

3. As far as you can, arrange for some sort of shade over your coop and run. Preferably deciduous so the girls will enjoy winter sun, but summer shade.
 

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