Illinois...

[preppyrider]

Hello! New to the forums, new to chickens, new to the whole thing! We're in the far west Chicago suburbs and plan to have 3 hens once we get our coop/run setup together, hopefully in the next few weeks or so. I'm wondering if anyone could recommend a good source for older started pullets, local or otherwise? For a variety of reasons I don't really want to get into raising chicks, at least not at this juncture. Any breed recommendations would be great also. Thanks!

 

[Molpet]

Hello, everybody! I haven't been on here since April. I started a new position at work, and have been crazy busy at home as well. If you happen to recall, this is our first year with chickens (or any fowl for that matter). We have 5 lovely (at least most of the time) hens.
My hens devour any greenery they can get to. We were letting them have the run of the garden patch, but now that plants are growing they are confined to the run behind the greenhouse (30'x5' footprint for the run). They used to really enjoy eating weeds (and some of our desired plants as well). I've started tossing piles of weeds into the chicken run as I pull them. Any harm in doing this? Are there weeds common in the area that I should watch out for to avoid giving them?
Just to clarify, the hens still get pelleted chicken feed. I'm just trying to supplement their diet with the things that they appeared to be eating naturally when able to do so.

nightshade is the first one that comes to mind.. but they probably won't eat it anyway if there is other green things to eat
https://poultrykeeper.com/general-chickens/poisonous-plants-chickens/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/comprehensive-list-of-poisonous-plants-and-trees.627282/

 

[BReeder!]

Hello! New to the forums, new to chickens, new to the whole thing! We're in the far west Chicago suburbs and plan to have 3 hens once we get our coop/run setup together, hopefully in the next few weeks or so. I'm wondering if anyone could recommend a good source for older started pullets, local or otherwise? For a variety of reasons I don't really want to get into raising chicks, at least not at this juncture. Any breed recommendations would be great also. Thanks!

We just started with chickens this year also. I went with chicks early this Spring; however, I considered purchasing pullets. Tri-County Stockdale stocked pullets at the time, and I assume they still do. They are located in Shorewood fairly close to I55 or I80.

 

[BReeder!]

We just started with chickens this year also. I went with chicks early this Spring; however, I considered purchasing pullets. Tri-County Stockdale stocked pullets at the time, and I assume they still do. They are located in Shorewood fairly close to I55 or I80.

Tri-County's website: http://www.tricountystockdale.com/

 

[BReeder!]

nightshade is the first one that comes to mind.. but they probably won't eat it anyway if there is other green things to eat
https://poultrykeeper.com/general-chickens/poisonous-plants-chickens/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/comprehensive-list-of-poisonous-plants-and-trees.627282/

These are interesting lists. Coriander is listed as toxic. Coriander is the same thing as cilantro, and I added it to my herb bed this year which I intended to share with the chickens. Good thing I asked.

 

[preppyrider]

Tri-County's website: http://www.tricountystockdale.com/

Thank you! Any tips for a fellow first-timer?

 

[BReeder!]

Thank you! Any tips for a fellow first-timer?

It's a fun learning experience. My 19 month old loves his chickens. Never thought I'd see somebody hug and kiss a chicken, but he does all the time.
Tips from my experience so far (4 months in):
- First, you are in the right place. The people on BYC are full of knowledge and experience, and willing to share information. I've learned a lot on here.
- Don't keep them in your garage. We did this at first because we had chicks. They got big fast, and at 8 weeks old they were stinking up my garage. I had to air out the garage after moving them into the yard.
- Keep them out of your garden. They'll eat everything.
- Get them used to being held and picked up. We pick up our hens all the time. At least once a day typically - they are still learning when it's time to go into the coop in the evening and we often have to carry them. This will make clipping wings and regular care/observation much easier.
- Vary your chickens' diet. We provide a quality chick pellet, plenty of greens (the weeds and such that I mentioned recently in my post earlier today), and a handful or two of quality bird seed or meal worms. kitchen scraps can help add variety too, but be careful what you giver them. we offer vegetable scraps and stale bread among other things to our chickens from time to time as treats.
- Chickens will eat everything down to the dirt and then dust bathe and through dirt everywhere... I broke a few hay bales open and spread it all over the run. I happened to have them from decorating the front lawn in the fall. It helps to keep the ground from turning to mud, and the chickens enjoy scratching through it for seeds and pellets that we'll toss in a cascade into the run for them.
- Chicken poop will be runny every now and then. it's a normal thing. I freaked out about this.
- Be sure to offer a form of calcium. We use crushed oyster shell - super cheap and doubles and grit.
- Chickens need grit once they are eating things other then just chick pellets. they use the grit to grind their food. crushed granite and crushed oyster shell are what we use. Just a handful tossed into the run once in a while. A large bag (the size of a 50lb bag of concrete) is cheap and lasts forever. I think we paid $10-$15 for a bag of each granite and oyster shell.
- The coop needs air flow! I made a whole wall out of construction mesh on the north end of my coop and will be able to cover it in the winter if needed. We still have vented roof eves and a small section of the floor is open and covered with construction mesh to (cool air in at the bottom and hot air out at the top).
- BUILD YOUR COOP. Don't bother with a prefabricated store bought coop.
- Coops do not need to be huge, but need to have room for a roost, feeder, waterer, nesting boxes, and for the chickens to move around. I have 5 chickens and my coop measures 4' wide x 8' long x 4' tall and my nesting boxes stick out on one side. I could possibly go up to 6 or even 8 chickens with this coop. Insider tip: If you start with 3 you will end up with 5 or 6 in the future.
-Make the coop easy to clean. The middle 4' of the roof opens like a flap so we can get in to clean ours (it's only 4' tall so opening the roof allows us to actually stand on the coop floor and reach every section of the coop.
- Nesting boxes... you need them. they can be milk crates, wooden boxes, store bought nesting boxes, litter boxes, I don't care. A chicken needs to be able to fit in them though to lay eggs and you need to be able to clean them. I build roll-away nesting boxes that stick out through a side wall of the coop. I added hinged covers as well so I can collect eggs and clean the nesting boxes from outside the coop.
- Make sure your chickens have protection from the sun, rain/snow, and wind. Our coop is sheltered by an apple tree on the front side, our greenhouse on the back side, a huge maple shades that whole side of my yard from the southern sun in the summer, and there's a fence on the north side of the coop. We also raised our coop enough to allow the hens to go underneath it and enjoy the cool dirt on hot days.

 

[Faraday40]

Hello! New to the forums, new to chickens, new to the whole thing! We're in the far west Chicago suburbs and plan to have 3 hens once we get our coop/run setup together, hopefully in the next few weeks or so. I'm wondering if anyone could recommend a good source for older started pullets, local or otherwise? For a variety of reasons I don't really want to get into raising chicks, at least not at this juncture. Any breed recommendations would be great also. Thanks!

I'll be the 1st to recommend Orpingtons. (Of course we breed LF English Orpingtons, so I'm rather biased. ) I love the gentle giants who love to be cuddled. Ours are more pets than livestock.
Pros:
docile temperament
easy to confine - never fly over the fence
will follow you everywhere throughout the yard
very pretty eye candy; come in many colors
the WOW factor (several of our birds are over 10lbs)
XL to Jumbo light brown eggs
quiet when compared to other breeds
will do anything for treats
very winter hardy

Cons:
They're big - so more feed & poop than those bantams or Mediterranean breeds
Egg production is good (but not excellent like a Leghorn or Isa Brown)
Constantly underfoot wanting your attention & begging for treats
Slow to mature.


Basically, if you want eggs - go with a high production breed. (Often more skittish &/or shorter life span -but those hatchery hybrids push out the eggs.) If your priority is a devoted pet that also gives eggs, then look toward a heritage breed. Barnyard mixes are also great. If you don't plan to breed or show, the hardiness & lower cost of a mix can be beneficial.

Want colorful eggs - Try Easter Eggers, Marans, Welsummers
Want a future broody hen - Try silkies, cochins, bantam orpingtons
Want an intelligent, playful, "talkative" bird - Try Speckled Sussex or Dominique
Don't have a lot of space - Try bantams

I prefer keeping a mixed flock to get variety. We have several breeds - but only 2 orp roos, so that's why we only breed orpingtons (or an occasional Easter Egger or sexlinked hybrid) We will have some started pullets for sale & perhaps some young hens in fall. Send me a PM if you read more about orpingtons & like them. (In DuPage Co)

 

[Faraday40]

New turkey poults
All 3 poults are doing OK. Here are their 1st pics (of many)


Ohhh! Shiny camera lens.....

A tiny chick hatched late afternoon today, there's at least one pipped egg, & another egg got smashed / cracked. (I think it is the only laced orp.) It's still alive inside the shell (but was bleeding). I brought it inside to the incubator in case I need to assist. There are also more eggs but I was unable to feel any progress.

It's definitely a staggered hatch, so I hope Jewel stays on the nest. I brought soaked food into the nest, so the early ones can eat - which they eagerly did.

 

[webbysmeme]

Hello! New to the forums, new to chickens, new to the whole thing! We're in the far west Chicago suburbs and plan to have 3 hens once we get our coop/run setup together, hopefully in the next few weeks or so. I'm wondering if anyone could recommend a good source for older started pullets, local or otherwise? For a variety of reasons I don't really want to get into raising chicks, at least not at this juncture. Any breed recommendations would be great also. Thanks!

Welcome! This is my first year with chickens too. You'd be better off starting with chicks! I learned it all the hard way!
But, you're wanting pullers. Whole different thing than I did. I started with some old hens and a rooster that I bought at a auction! Big mistake. Well, just wanted to say welcome and put my two cents worth in. KH