Caring for chickens day to day is pretty easy, getting setup in the beginning can be tricky. Take time to plan your housing for them long before you bring them home. You will need to look at your town’s regulations before you build or purchase your coop, for example in my town they require chickens to have a fence and they require this fence and the coop to be a certain number of feet away from my property line. If a coop is bigger than a certain size a permit may be needed (just like for a shed or other structure). Other things to consider are the types of predators that live in your area and the type of weather you have. Once you know these things you can figure out what your coop may need and where best to locate it on your property. Storey’s has some good info on coop building if you are handy, if not, consider purchasing a coop and sharing a photo on here so folks can help you make any modifications that may be needed for your specific circumstance. In terms of actual chickens, it can be easier to purchase started pullets from a farm than to raise chicks. Generally they are a bit older, but less than a year, and a bit grown, so can tolerate being outdoors, and known to be female at this point. Raising chicks doesn’t have to be challenging, but started pullets are definitely easier. Storey’s guide has some good charts to help you choose a breed. Think about what’s important to you. A breed that will tolerate your climate is always important. It may be easier to just compare a handful of breeds later once you see which ones are available in your area. People who live near you will likely only raise breeds that do well in your climate so that will narrows down your options quite a bit. Come back to the site often. Check out “the learning center” and explore different topics. Once you get the housing piece sorted, the rest is easy. Have fun!
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