Is everyone this terrified when they start?

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Ask away -- any question, anytime because BYC has members all over the world. So someone, somewhere can probably offer an answer, no matter the topic or time of day that you ask.

It's great to do research and be prepared BEFORE you get your chicks. But, with all the information that's out there, it's also easy to get overwhelmed.

As @BigBlueHen53 said, if you take care of the basics, it's likely your chicks will do fine. My first rule of chicken care is to use hardware cloth EVERYWHERE to keep predators out. My birds "free range" during the day but are securely housed at night in coops that are basically wrapped in hardware cloth.

Like you, I want to be uber-prepared for any situation. Guess what? It's impossible. Just do your best --and enjoy your birds.

Please let us know how the cooping goes with the chickens and guineas -- and training your shepherd (kudos to you for rescuing her) with the poultry.

Welcome to BYC!
 
Welcome to BYC! The search function is your friend. :) On a computer, it's on the top right, there's a basic and advanced search. Also check out the bottom of the page for the related topic threads that the BYC algorithm picks out for you - I've often found those to be more relevant to what I'm looking for than the search results, for some reason. And of course, you can always ask, many folks will link relevant threads for you for complex questions that have been discussed often in addition to providing their in-person input. Also set your notifications and you can be notified when certain Forums get new threads, or when threads your interested in get more responses.
Sounds like you're doing what you need to do to find the information you're looking for. Chickens are amazingly resilient in many ways. Try not to worry too much, with a minimum of effort (which you seem to have done) things are usually fine. :)
 
Glad to meet you and welcome to BYC! Congratulations on your new country home! Best wishes with all your poultry and the dog! If you free range, you need to either stay with the birds or be prepared for some losses. I have lost a bird to a hawk when I was in the house for a short bathroom break! It really helps to provide the birds good shelter in lots of convenient places where ever they are free ranging: shrubs, low trees, tables and chairs can all help!

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
also read the "sticky index" at the beginning of the forum entries!

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

8. Chicken toys

9. Introducing dogs to birds: tips & tricks

Guinea Articles
1. Raising Guinea Fowl 101

2. Introduction to Keeping Guinea Fowl

3. Raising the young Guinea Fowl: 6 weeks to 3 months

4. My Story of keeping Guinea Fowl

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.
 
It's easy to get overwhelmed by all the information. We got our very first chicks in March. I have helped care for friends' flocks so I have some experience to fall back on but this was my first time caring for chicks of my own.

I'm a planner, too. I like information and I like to have things mapped out. If things don't go the way of the map I'm okay with that but I do like some kind of framework to start with.

Nature has been raising chickens for a very long time. They thrive and know how to do all the chickeny things without being around or even seeing an adult chicken. It's all built in. I was surprised to see my two-day-old chicks taking dust baths (so cute)!

Remember most of the time when people post online they're posting because an issue or problem has come up that they want to solve so you see waaaaaay more of those kinds of posts than "My chickens are doing great!" even though most peoples' flocks are doing great.

We have dogs with pretty high prey drives. One had been a stray and eats almost anything that moves because I think that's what he had to do to survive when he was a stray. The other is a goofy Staffordshire terrier (pit bull) who loves everyone except cats and wild rabbits (needless to say we don't have cats or rabbits). They came from a shelter as a bonded pair.

We let the dogs look at and sniff around the chicks when we first got them but they couldn't physically touch them. They were intrigued by all the little peeping sounds and sniffed all around and watched the chicks with great curiosity for about a minute... then they got bored and walked away.

We were worried predatory behaviors might be a problem but it turns out they're not. To this day the dogs are just very mildly curious about them. "Huh. Look at that. Well... hey, is it time for a walk yet?"

Your GSD might not be as big of a problem as you're anticipating. You won't know until you're there. Go slowly and of course err on the side of caution to keep your flock safe.

Stay informed but most of all enjoy those adorable little balls of feathery fluff, they grow up really fast!
 
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