Long Islanders.... I know you are out there

[Johnboy78]

hey all,

Long Island, East Northport.

Got 1st ever chicks 1 week ago.

 

[goldeneggtees]

Hey Johnboy! Welcome to BYC and the world of chicken keeping! How many did you get? And what kind?

We are in Greenlawn.

 

[Johnboy78]

Thank you.

I've got eight females(?), a surprise me package from Ideal.
Since I know nothing at all I couldn't really choose.
According to the packing slip I have 2 each of Brown sexlink,
Rhode Island red, Goldpencilled Hamburg, and Yokohama.
The RI's and the s/l's are much bigger than the others.
They all run and flap and scratch and sleep and pop out feathers.

Their purpose is to coexist with the doggies and become spoiled suburban
pets whose activities are fun to watch and who happen to lay eggs,
more eggs than we will need.

If I had a greener thumb and more sun in the yard I'm at the age where
men start to obsess about their tomatoes. Maybe this is where that
energy found a home. Anyhow I've always had animals. How hard can it be?

 

[goldeneggtees]

Chickens are great fun all around! Sounds like you have some nice breeds. Rhode Island Reds I've heard can be a little cranky but that doesn't come from experience. I have buff orps, australorps and speckled sussex. The speckled sussex are my least favorite. They are flighty and not very friendly. They were raised by a mother hen, not me so maybe they have an excuse. The buff orps are the sweetest along with one australorp who I like to call Betty. My friendly hens follow me everywhere and fight to be first on my lap when I sit down with them on their very own 1/4 acre. We have 14 hens right now. Basically way too many. We bought an older house with an old coop which was built during the great depression, it is huge and could probably house 100 birds if need be. We recently looked at a foreclosure house down the block which was on 2.08 acres. It would have made an awesome mini farm and I probably could have gotten away with a roo if I wanted. Sadly, that sold before we were able to get up enough funds to buy it. Ahhhhh, fun to dream but sad to hit reality again. Back to the fishbowl we call home!

 

[JanetR]

Hi Long Islanders! I'm in East Hampton. Just building my coop now. I'm getting 6 chicks on 6/2. Can't wait!

 

[cristina]

Hi there NYer! I'm in Queens, NY (Bayside)... how exciting to know that someone not so far out in the "boonies" also has chickens! I have 3 laying hens and LOVE IT. Just wanted to say hi....and if you know anybody in Bayside who would chicken-sit for me, let me know! I need someone to rely on when I am away on vacation.
NY Unite!

 

[Johnboy78]

Looking for opinions and experience.
Long Islanders, you know our weather.
My eight are almost 4 weeks old.
They are getting big. At least 4 of the 8
could get out of the brooder if
they put their little chicken heads to it.
I'm reading that people keep them in for
12 weeks. I'm figuring they got to be outside
in another 3 week, even if the growth rate slows.
Please, let me have some "IMO"s.

They will be going into an eglu cube so heat in the
coop isn't possible but it is getting mild.

 

[goldeneggtees]

As long as they are fully feathered, I'd say they are ok to stay outside. I kept mine in longer than that, but I got them as 1 day olds in April and it was still fairly cold.

 

[Johnboy78]

Fully feathered, I'm not dumb but what is that exactly. Does that mean after
the head and neck are fully grown in, or mostly? Does it mean no down left
or that they are reasonably bulked out with feathers enough to handle nighttime lows?
I wouldn't be nitpicking so much if this weren't my first batch.

 

[goldeneggtees]

That's a good question, here is a link I just found that maybe explains it better…

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=3888553