There's no particular forum thread but this one for me to post this ramble of mine. I knew NOTHING about chickens when I got the wild hair to build a coop and get a few chickens last summer. Well, it took all summer to build the A-Frame coop (and it's obvious a carpenter didn't build it), and I bought my first chicks at the beginning of October.
I brooded them in my bathroom. Had 2 chicks die of "failure to thrive" - I guess - at various times, and replaced them so that eventually I had 8 chicks at 3 different ages. All of 'em bought in October, though. No, wait, two were purchased the first weekend of November, but they were at least a week old at the feed store when I chose them.
Before they were ready to go outside full time, I also bought a coop kit on eBay, which ended up to be the coop they use for their lodging. The A-Frame is where they are now laying eggs. Before they started laying, they just hung out under the A-Frame out of the rain this winter, and occasionally went up the ramp into the coop part, just to look for spiders and ear-wigs and maybe nap a bit.
I have enlarged the run area 3 times. I have begun to build a third coop, with all the features I didn't get from either the A-Frame I built or the eBay coop I bought. I have very much enjoyed the camaraderie of BYCers from forum postings, met a wonderful BYCer when I purchased two laying hens from her, and have learned an incalcuable amount of information from BYC. The employees of the two feed stores closest to me have become quite used to my visits; I often browse at one during my work lunch hour. The other one actually held two Welsummer chicks for me, which is NOT something they usually do.
The employees at Lowes have gotten very used to me there, too, and many asked to see pictures of the A-Frame coop I built from materials I bought there. Now that I am building a 4 x 8 foot coop, they want to see THOSE photos too. And I got wonderful assistance from two fellas intrigued by my new plans to build a duck house and small pond with a drain.
I have four chicks and two ducklings in separate brooders in my bathroom right now. That is, one for the chicks, one for the ducklings. Everybody's healthy. They give me so much pleasure, as do my grown up chickens outside. Bernadette is now flying directly to my shoulder as soon as I enter the run. All of them eat out of my hands when I bring them treats, and there's no nasty pecking. They tell me chicken stories. Two of the 6 pullets I raised from chicks are now laying eggs: pretty green ones and very nice brown ones.
I feel so lucky. Yes, I have had setbacks, but overall, this has been just a wonderful experience for me.
Thank you, BYC!
I brooded them in my bathroom. Had 2 chicks die of "failure to thrive" - I guess - at various times, and replaced them so that eventually I had 8 chicks at 3 different ages. All of 'em bought in October, though. No, wait, two were purchased the first weekend of November, but they were at least a week old at the feed store when I chose them.
Before they were ready to go outside full time, I also bought a coop kit on eBay, which ended up to be the coop they use for their lodging. The A-Frame is where they are now laying eggs. Before they started laying, they just hung out under the A-Frame out of the rain this winter, and occasionally went up the ramp into the coop part, just to look for spiders and ear-wigs and maybe nap a bit.
I have enlarged the run area 3 times. I have begun to build a third coop, with all the features I didn't get from either the A-Frame I built or the eBay coop I bought. I have very much enjoyed the camaraderie of BYCers from forum postings, met a wonderful BYCer when I purchased two laying hens from her, and have learned an incalcuable amount of information from BYC. The employees of the two feed stores closest to me have become quite used to my visits; I often browse at one during my work lunch hour. The other one actually held two Welsummer chicks for me, which is NOT something they usually do.
The employees at Lowes have gotten very used to me there, too, and many asked to see pictures of the A-Frame coop I built from materials I bought there. Now that I am building a 4 x 8 foot coop, they want to see THOSE photos too. And I got wonderful assistance from two fellas intrigued by my new plans to build a duck house and small pond with a drain.
I have four chicks and two ducklings in separate brooders in my bathroom right now. That is, one for the chicks, one for the ducklings. Everybody's healthy. They give me so much pleasure, as do my grown up chickens outside. Bernadette is now flying directly to my shoulder as soon as I enter the run. All of them eat out of my hands when I bring them treats, and there's no nasty pecking. They tell me chicken stories. Two of the 6 pullets I raised from chicks are now laying eggs: pretty green ones and very nice brown ones.
I feel so lucky. Yes, I have had setbacks, but overall, this has been just a wonderful experience for me.
Thank you, BYC!
