Just thinking about chickens…

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Scandigal

Scandigal

Chirping
6 Years
May 19, 2015
6
0
72
Big Spring, TX
Hi! Hubby and I just bought a home in January, that sits on 2 acres and we are seriously contemplating raising chickens. We are in the "research" phase, and can use all the help we can get. LOL So glad to have come across your site! Looking forward to learning all I can.
 
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Welcome to the crazy world of chick raising. This is the best site to learn from. Do you have any idea what kind you want?
 
One of the great things about chickens is that you can make whatever you want to out if it. I have a two year old another one on the way, so I don't have lots of time to spend with a flock. I've got a small coop and have self waterers and feeders that can hold a weeks worth of food.

Others get into raising specific breeds and want multiple coops and runs to be able to separate flocks.

My best advise is to stay somewhat flexible. As you get into having chickens you may (and I actually guarantee it) decide you want to do or try something different.

The second best advise - have fun! Don't take it too serious or get wrapped up about what if's. Just because someone does it one way or says not to do another, that may have no impact on what you or your birds will like. Everyone is different!

Good luck!!!!
 
TMPope said:
Welcome to the crazy world of chick raising. This is the best site to learn from. Do you have any idea what kind you want?
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That's what I need to figure out - what kind of chickens to get. We live in a semi-arid climate in West Texas. It can get very hot for several weeks in a row during the summer, and below freezing during the winter. Some days, the temp can vary 40°-60°F in a 24-hr period. We really need to find out what kind of chickens do well in this climate.
 
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Haha good luck narrowing down to what kinds you want to get. Just to help here are some popular breeds.
Cocking,ameracauna, Wyandotte, barred rock, polish, australorp, I'm going to stop now or i wont be very much help, if this helped you at all.
 
CrazyChickLady7 said:
Haha good luck narrowing down to what kinds you want to get. Just to help here are some popular breeds.
Cocking,ameracauna, Wyandotte, barred rock, polish, australorp, I'm going to stop now or i wont be very much help, if this helped you at all.
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Yes, I've heard there are several types to choose from, but which breeds will thrive in both heat and cold environs?
 
We live in Northern Wyoming, in an area between three mountain ranges and we are considered "high desert" here. We get sub-zero lows in the winter (hit 19 below the first week of November!) and hot, dry summers. Chickens suffer more in the heat than they do in the winter. I have Easter Eggers, which did very well in this climate, both last summer and all winter. Egg laying was okay during the winter, but first year layers often do very well then kinda drop off as the years (or sometimes months) go by. Their small combs are a real advantage in the cold. The other breed we were very happy with was our Red Sex Links, also known as Golden Sex Links, Golden Comets, Red Stars - they have many names. The biggest advantage there is that they can be sexed at hatching, so if you want all girls your chances of getting all girls is pretty high. They also did well in the heat and the cold. The Buff Orpington did very well during the winter, but she is so heavily feathered and heavy bodied that the summer was tough on her. She's worth the effort, though, because she has that laid back personality Buff Orpingtons are deservedly known for. We have Cuckoo Marans and they handled both the warm and cold quite well, even though they have rather large combs...at least mine do. This year marks my foray into both Buff and Light Brahmas, which should have absolutely no problems during the winter, but being heavily feathered and big bodied birds keeping them this summer might be a bit of a challenge.

With good ventilation, most chickens will do well in almost any weather. You just need to be a little more creative in the summer.....lots of ideas out there for that. I keep dabs of frozen vegetables - you know, that last little bit in the freezer bag that is not enough for a meal but too much to dump
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- and dump it all together in one large resealable freezer bag. Then I take the bag out and dump some of it in the run. Like most others, I also add ice to waterers, freeze empty plastic freezer pop bottles full of water and set them around the run, and they can't seem to get enough watermelon in summer, either!

You are way smarter than me - I let my enthusiasm run away with my common sense and started studying and researching AFTER I already had 22 chicks in the brooder! The Learning Center, in the top of the BYC home page, is jam packed with fantastic information and lots of good ideas. You can also research breeds by clicking on the Breed tab. And as always, help is usually just a post away. Welcome!

Edited to add: The birds I listed are the ones I have personal experience with and it is by no means a complete list. Everyone has favorites, and rightfully so, and many will be happy to share what they know about breeds that I have mentioned and the many I haven't.
 
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Welcome to Backyard chickens. go to "where am I, where are you," in the social forum - then locate and post on your state thread. You'll probably get the best answers from other who raise chickens in your area. Which breeds handle the climate, what type of modifications to make in coop and runs., etc.
 

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