I am just starting out, where do I start?

[andreanar]

Decide how many birds you want, then get a coop that will hold twice as many! The fun part is choosing breeds! I can recommend Australorp, Cochin and Orpingtons as pretty friendly breeds. Enjoy your journey!

 

[lazy gardener]

Welcome. If you put your general location in your profile, that will help folks to give climate specific information. Your climate will even dictate which breeds will do best for you.

You can start by deciding how much space you can devote to your flock (for their coop and run) and let that decide how many birds you will have. Or you can decide how many birds you want, then build a coop/run that will hold twice that many! The general space requirement for a back yard flock is: 4 s.f. in coop and 10 s.f. in run per bird. Ventilation should be = to 10 - 20% of the foot print of your coop. Be sure to locate your coop and run in an area that has excellent drainage.

I strongly advise you to avoid pre-fab coops. They are almost always falsely advertised, and poorly made, will not safely house the number of birds they are advertised to house, designed by folks who know neither the needs of a chicken, or a flock owner.

Good subjects to research:

Deep litter in coop and run

Henderson's chicken breed's list

MHP style brooder

Fermented feed

 

[007Sean]

Howdy Happy to have you join the family. Enjoy your time here at BYC!

 

[Teila]

G’Day from down under Nova Chickens Welcome!

I have just a couple more things to add to the great tips and links you have already been given.

You might be interested in downloading this free e-book My First Year With Chickens

This article may help you decide on a breed: Pickin a Chicken

I see that Pork Pie mentioned the Topic of the Week discussions which I have found to be a great resource, informative and sometimes entertaining; so definitely worth checking out. These two may be of particular interest to you at this stage:
Topic of the Week - Getting Started, Keeping Chickens
Topic of the Week - Keeping the Flock Safe from Predators

My last recommendation is this article: How Much Room Do Chickens Need

I do hope you enjoy being a BYC member. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun.

If you would like to share Pictures and Stories of your flock when they arrive, you have come to the right place. BYC’ers never tire of these and do not back away slowly or commence eye rolling when the photo album or home videos come out

 

[Nova Chickens]

Thank you very much everyone! I am getting excited for spring now. I have been looking at Jersey giants and about 4 hens to start. I live in Nova Scotia , and the winters can be chilly, but not crazy cold. I have an acre of land with forest behind me. Lots of wildlife back there, so I want to keep my new friends safe. I am prepared to build a well insulated and mobile coop. Any tips on what has and hasn't worked?

 

[N F C]

Thank you very much everyone! I am getting excited for spring now. I have been looking at Jersey giants and about 4 hens to start. I live in Nova Scotia , and the winters can be chilly, but not crazy cold. I have an acre of land with forest behind me. Lots of wildlife back there, so I want to keep my new friends safe. I am prepared to build a well insulated and mobile coop. Any tips on what has and hasn't worked?

Try going to your country thread and see what other members in Canada suggest:
page-412

They will be a good source of information for you...things like coop tips, predator protection, sources for birds, etc.

Best of luck!

 

[Larry55]

Welcome. One thing to remember is most of the prefab coops are junk. Not meant to last long. The wood used is skimpy.

 

[ronott1]

Hi everyone, I have been wanting to get some chickens for a few years now. I want them for pets and the eggs would be great too. Just wondering what kind would be best? How do I know what kind of coop I need. Basically where do I start? Thank you

The best chickens will be the ones you want the most!

Pullets that say egg layers at a feed store will be the best layers usually

 

[rjohns39]

Hi and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us
All of my shelters are mobile... My favorites are cattle panel shelters which have an electric fence around them. My grow out shelters move as well and have three hot wires around the bottom with a solar charger.

 

[sourland]

Since great advice and links have already been given, I will just say Welcome to BYC, and good luck in establishing your flock.