HarrysChicks
In the Brooder
I appreciate the wealth of info on this site!! What a great resource for a noob like myself. Very happy to be here. 
We (myself, husband and 1.5 year old son) inherited 3 hens last year (2 buff rocks and an unknown; same size, solid black) from my Dad after a pack of coyotes picked off the rest of his flock. We very negligently and ignorantly were leaving the coop door open occasionally and paid for it with 2 chickens. Poor girls - I think a raccoon came to visit. We have 1 lonely buff rock left.
I have loved having them around and am missing the steady supply of eggs.
I recently ordered 16 chicks from Hoover Hatchery. 4 each of 3 different hybrids (cinnamon queen, calico princess and sapphire gem) as well as 4 production reds. They are now about 3 weeks old and I cannot get over how FAST they are growing!
I am both impulsive and an obsessive researcher. It wasn't until after ordering that I started reading (and reading and reading) and have decided that I would really like to have a spectrum of egg colors (all of the above lay light-ish brown eggs I think) and that I would really like to work with full breed chickens, including a rooster, and try to raise a sustainable flock. Therefore I ordered 5 more chicks - copper black marans this time - and am hoping the batch includes at least 1 male. Picking them up tomorrow!
Our intention is to continue free ranging. I might fence in a area of our 6 acres for our son to play in that can be chicken (and dog) poop-free - a boy run, if you will.
Our coop is a repurposed corn crib - the kind that you can drive thru and has bins on either side. I could potentially have 4 separate coops but am trying not to get too carried away - at least until I get this flock up to laying age successfully!!
The coop area is large and I have 12 nesting boxes. It needs some good roost poles and a few holes patched up. We also want to make a window and cover the ceiling with hardware mesh instead of the chicken wire that we put up there initially. It's definitely not keeping the sparrows out!! My partner is plotting on making an automatic door that is powered by a solar panel. We'll see how that turns out!
I have lots of questions and know I can find the answers here. Thanks for existing!
We (myself, husband and 1.5 year old son) inherited 3 hens last year (2 buff rocks and an unknown; same size, solid black) from my Dad after a pack of coyotes picked off the rest of his flock. We very negligently and ignorantly were leaving the coop door open occasionally and paid for it with 2 chickens. Poor girls - I think a raccoon came to visit. We have 1 lonely buff rock left.
I have loved having them around and am missing the steady supply of eggs.
I recently ordered 16 chicks from Hoover Hatchery. 4 each of 3 different hybrids (cinnamon queen, calico princess and sapphire gem) as well as 4 production reds. They are now about 3 weeks old and I cannot get over how FAST they are growing!
I am both impulsive and an obsessive researcher. It wasn't until after ordering that I started reading (and reading and reading) and have decided that I would really like to have a spectrum of egg colors (all of the above lay light-ish brown eggs I think) and that I would really like to work with full breed chickens, including a rooster, and try to raise a sustainable flock. Therefore I ordered 5 more chicks - copper black marans this time - and am hoping the batch includes at least 1 male. Picking them up tomorrow!
Our intention is to continue free ranging. I might fence in a area of our 6 acres for our son to play in that can be chicken (and dog) poop-free - a boy run, if you will.
Our coop is a repurposed corn crib - the kind that you can drive thru and has bins on either side. I could potentially have 4 separate coops but am trying not to get too carried away - at least until I get this flock up to laying age successfully!!
The coop area is large and I have 12 nesting boxes. It needs some good roost poles and a few holes patched up. We also want to make a window and cover the ceiling with hardware mesh instead of the chicken wire that we put up there initially. It's definitely not keeping the sparrows out!! My partner is plotting on making an automatic door that is powered by a solar panel. We'll see how that turns out!
I have lots of questions and know I can find the answers here. Thanks for existing!
and a warm welcome to Backyard Chickens! It's great to have you here with us. Good luck with making an automatic door. Hope it works for you!
Nice to have you here! Feathermaid provided some good links to start with
to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC! 
