Just Getting Started

[jeffwreck3619]

I am just starting out with the chickens and we are in the process of building a coop and trying to get everything we need before I even pick out the birds. I like to be prepared before starting anything. I am so excited to start this. I grow all my own veg, and am looking forward to adding, chickens and next year honey bees. Trying to disconnect from the so called normal food chain we have now. Any info I can get will be invaluable for me.

 

[drumstick diva]

Hi Jeff, Welcome to Backyard Chickens, the pulse beat of the chicken community.

 

[Acre4Me]

Lots of good reading on BYC. Good idea to have the coop ready before the chicks arrive.

How many eggs do you want a day? Since chickens don’t lay an egg everyday (with the exception of production birds), you may find you need 10 birds to always get 6 eggs, for example. We have 10 layers, we get 7/eggs per day usually (range 4-8/day). One of our hens is broody again, so she’s not laying.

So, when you determine you number of birds expected in your flock, then make sure you build enough space inside the coop and in a protected run. Even if you free range outside the run, you’ll find it helpful to have a secure run when predators are around.

Where are you located? Hot, cold, dry, wet? All these factor into coop design and choice of chicken breed. Choose less heavily feathered birds if you live in a very hot place, likewise choose breeds known to tolerate cold well if you are somewhere that can have long or intense winter weather.

Check out the article section on BYC too, in addition to the forums.

Good luck!

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC and congrats on your new hobby.

Here are some links to key resources:

• List of guides on how to use the site - announcements-feedback-issues-guides.3
• Great resource for beginners - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/learning-center.11/
• Good starting point for browsing the site - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/
• Interesting feedback on how members manage their flocks -https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archives
• Excellent source of local information - Find your State's thread.

Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[007Sean]

Howdy and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Happy to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!

Thanks for joining our community!

 

[rjohns39]

Hi Jeff and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Welcome to our FUNomenal community! Best wishes and have lots of fun!

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
I view it as trying to connect to the normal food chain. The vast majority of the population does not really want to know where their food comes from. They'll just say it came from the grocery store.

 

[sourland]

Plan and prepare and you will be successful in establishing and maintaining your flock. Welcome to BYC.

 

[CarpCharacin]

Welcome to BYC! We're glad you decided to join our wonderful community!