My Very First Time

Date sort Score sort
chrisnjenny

chrisnjenny

Chirping
5 Years
Joined
Jun 8, 2014
Messages
187
Reaction score
16
Points
78
Location
oklahoma
Hi my name is Jenny I'm married with four little girls ages 5,6,11, and 14 and we live in eastern Oklahoma. My husband and I were shopping with the kids a few weeks ago and of course we all fell in love with the cute little chicks in the store, however we were able to restrain ourselves not knowing the cost of actually keeping and raising chickens. However a few days ago my husband was given two hens and a rooster from a lady at work that for whatever reason was giving the away in threes. we are super excited to raise our chickens and have fresh eggs (hopefully daily) and keep them as pets as well. However WE ARE LEARNING AS WE GO... this page has been very helpful to us already, every time i ask Google a question it directs me here and I'm thankful for it. We dont know anything about these chickens what kind they are how old they are or anything else it seems they may have been kept in a cage before but we arent sure of anything. they dont seem very friendly and run from whatever direction i come from we did have to chase one that got out last night and she ran in the house. I think they are a little stressed with the new environment. we caged in a good area under our back porch(about 4ft tall) and gave them a little extra grassy area where the sun gets in and we tarped half the porch and half the open area for some added shelter i put an old large dog carrying crate under the porch and put some old dead weeds in a milk crate inside the dog box but they dont seem the least bit interested. after it was all said and done i think this will be a temporary home and a learning experience. Im excited to share our journey and experiences and learn from everyone here!
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Congrats on the new flock! First, you will want to do some reading in our learning center on how to care for your new birds..

https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

You will need to build them a coop to keep them safe from predators and give them some sense of security. Here are our coop pages from our members. Some of these are very easy to build and even have plans....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coops

You will need to work with them to tame them up. But go slow at first and don't force them. Go sit with them on the ground in a confined area. Bring some treats. Let them warm up to you. Move slowly around them. Talk quietly, don't chase them or try to pick them up. After a while, they should calm down. Get them on some flock raiser and oystershell on the side for the layers. The proper ratio is 1 roo to 8 to 10 hens, as any less hens and a roo can over mate them to the point of injury. So you may end up needing more hens eventually. Just keep an eye on them.

If you have any other questions, that is what we are here for. Enjoy this new journey you are on and welcome to our flock!
 











can anyone tell me what kind of chickens these are? i know the pics aren't great but its what i have at this point any help will do thanks!
 
And thank you for the welcome and the info ive been reading all day... love this site
 
Chicken wire is too flimsy to keep any predators out. 1/2" hardware cloth is much better for protecting your birds. Birds are stressed by any moves, so it will be awhile till they feel secure in new surroundings. I hate to say it but, "Beware of people bearing chickens," they usually turn out to be roosters.

The dark one looks like a gamebird. The pictures are not clear enough to see them well at all. I thought it would enlarge but it didn't.
 
Well thank you we were told its two hens and a rooster! ill get better pictures tomorrow when its light out those are all i had in my phone so far and yes we quickly realized this was not a long term solution but its gonna have to last until at least thursday and ive been checking on them every couple of hours even through the night they have found a preferential corner they like to stay in
 
They dont fight and the two smaller ones follow the rooster around they stay together when they walk about the pen ..up close the two smaller lighter brown ones look just alike
 
So i guess i have two roos and a pullet... is this going to cause us a lot of problems? Should i seperate the boys?
 
400
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom