Well, nothing like jumping in head first. Don't know nothin' 'bout chickens except what I'm learning here at BYC.. I started off with 8 little chicks about 8 weeks ago (Barred Rock)... got them big enough to put in the coop, and lost 3 about 10 days later... It looked like dog tracks, (tunneled under the wall of the coop), so now we have HOT WIRE! It scared my cat away anyway... Picked up some Red Sex Links to replace the lost ones. Love them... University of Texas Burnt Orange White chickens! We are in Central Texas, 5 miles from paved road, and 35 miles to the nearest Wal-mart.