My Intro:

[vegetariandavi]

Hi there,

My name is Davi and I just got my first chicken a week ago. I'm already beginning to second guess my decision and hoping you guys can help me.

I have no idea what breed she is: she's white with some black specs on her.

I'm a vegetarian and honestly eat an egg on a rare occasion or typically if it's mixed in with something else.

I've always dreamt of moving to the country, which I did this summer and raising a few animals. I have several dogs and cats but no farm animals, till last Friday. I adopted this chicken that ended up on someone's porch.

No idea whatsoever what I'm doing. She's in a shed with a dog kennel attached and a cat/puppy door to allow her access back and forth.

My main issue right now is..... all the poop! If I make her space in the shed smaller, will she be less likely to poop all over everything? I mean, her food bowl, next to her water, everything!!

 

[Rickba]

Well, 1st Welcome aboard. People here are very nice and knowledgeable and will help you in any way they can. I'm just the opposite of you, I'm a carnivore. I hunt for all my meat and eat game meat and poultry every meal. I have 50 chickens and love every one of 'em, either for laying eggs or for roasting. Now, you being a veggie lover, you have a great source of fertilizer there. Get yourself a 5 gl. bucket with a lid and put the poop in there. In the spring mix the poop in with your garden soil. It's the best fertilizer there is. Get or build a small coop and run somewhere, get a 2nd chicken to keep this one company and all will be happy. Layer is about $13.50 for 50pds which will last 1 or 2 chickens a long time and water. Get a feeder and a waterer, that's it. You're set.

 

[MrsMistyReal]

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

I have no idea what breed she is: she's white with some black specs on her.

If you post a picture of her/him, we can tell you the breed, and gender.

No idea whatsoever what I'm doing. She's in a shed with a dog kennel attached and a cat/puppy door to allow her access back and forth.
My main issue right now is..... all the poop! If I make her space in the shed smaller, will she be less likely to poop all over everything? I mean, her food bowl, next to her water, everything!!

Okay, clean out your shed, and put something on the floor, straw, Or something.
Then, get a 2x4, or something similar, and put it in the shed, around two feet high, narrow side up. That will be a roost.
If its a hen, you can just make a little nest in the corner if you like, with extra straw.
You will need a feeder, and a waterer.
You'll need some layer feed, and if you like, you can mix some cracked corn in it. That helps them to keep warm, and they also like it! You also need to get her some oyster shell, and grit. The grit helps them grind their food, since she isn't free ranging, she can't pick up stones on her own. ThE oyster shell helps her to lay good, thick shells on her eggs.
Make sure your shed is predator proof.
You Can make a little pen outside, with old wire, or something. Or you can get chicken wire, and build a permanent run.
Lastly, your chicken needs some companions. Find some hens, and maybe a rooster, if you like. You will be provided with fresh eggs, and happy chickens!
Good luck!

 

[Lavender Ro]

Welcome to BYC!!!!!!

 

[vegetariandavi]

Here's the home I have for her so far. I plan on putting some natural perches in the kennel area. This was a last minute decision in my test chicken project. I'll do more this weekend.

Well, 1st Welcome aboard. People here are very nice and knowledgeable and will help you in any way they can. I'm just the opposite of you, I'm a carnivore. I hunt for all my meat and eat game meat and poultry every meal. I have 50 chickens and love every one of 'em, either for laying eggs or for roasting. Now, you being a veggie lover, you have a great source of fertilizer there. Get yourself a 5 gl. bucket with a lid and put the poop in there. In the spring mix the poop in with your garden soil. It's the best fertilizer there is. Get or build a small coop and run somewhere, get a 2nd chicken to keep this one company and all will be happy. Layer is about $13.50 for 50pds which will last 1 or 2 chickens a long time and water. Get a feeder and a waterer, that's it. You're set.

Thank you! I have a shed and an attached kennel for her now but need to add some natural perches in the kennel area so she can get fresh air and see outside.

 

[lazy gardener]

A lot of your poop issues are related to how her space is set up. Do you have a nice thick layer of shavings in her dog crate? As Rick says, chickens are flock animals. So, if you keep her, you really should get a flock mate for her. Be sure it's an other pullet or hen! Hanging her feeder and waterer, or otherwise getting them up to shoulder level will help a lot with the soiling. She needs a perch as well. It should be a 2 x 4, laid with wide side up, or as you say, natural perches will work well also. They should be about 2" diameter. And it should be above the level of her nest box. If you allow her to come and go in your shed, yes, she will perch and poop on EVERYTHING. Also, chickens are dander machines. Dander is a fine oily silt that is shed from their feathers/feather shafts. It covers every surface, including vertical ones. So, you and she will be happiest if you move her out to a predator proof coop/run set up. Absolute minimum space requirements are 4 s.f. in coop and 10 s.f. in run per bird. The smaller the flock, the larger these s.f. numbers should be.

As for the feed issue: it quickly oxidizes after manufacture. A well known poultry nutrition expert says that by the time a bag of feed is 6 weeks old, a lot of the nutrients are well on their way to breaking down. So, I recommend that you find someone to split a bag of feed with, perhaps freeze some, or buy your feed in small quantities. Look at the tape on the bottom of a bag for the mill date. She will eat .2 - .3# of feed per day.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi Davi and welcome to BYC

Here’s a link to the Articles section - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/ There you’ll find lots of information on almost every aspect of keeping chickens - from coop building ideas, to incubating eggs.

There’s a link on the page above to the Learning Centre - it’s a great resource. If you have a specific topic in mind, just type it in the search box - there's a wealth of information on past and present threads.

Each week, various topics are discussed, which can also be a great resource - https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive


You may wish to consider joining your state thread as it will put you in touch with other BYC members in your area - Find Your State Thread


Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[vegetariandavi]

Well, 1st Welcome aboard. People here are very nice and knowledgeable and will help you in any way they can. I'm just the opposite of you, I'm a carnivore. I hunt for all my meat and eat game meat and poultry every meal. I have 50 chickens and love every one of 'em, either for laying eggs or for roasting. Now, you being a veggie lover, you have a great source of fertilizer there. Get yourself a 5 gl. bucket with a lid and put the poop in there. In the spring mix the poop in with your garden soil. It's the best fertilizer there is. Get or build a small coop and run somewhere, get a 2nd chicken to keep this one company and all will be happy. Layer is about $13.50 for 50pds which will last 1 or 2 chickens a long time and water. Get a feeder and a waterer, that's it. You're set.

 

[lazy gardener]

That your set up???? Awesome!!!

Handsome kitty!