New chicken farmer

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Dandiesandy

Dandiesandy

In the Brooder
Joined
Apr 26, 2020
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Location
southeast ohio
I am a retired nurse and wanting a hobby other than sewing that requires me to care for animals and get fresh air and exercise. I have reading and studying for weeks. I want a mixed flock of hens with a silky bantam rooster. I want to get a co-op and run ready this year and possibly get chicks next spring. Any informative advice for a beginner is much appreciated!
 
Hello and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.
Design your coop to provide LOTS of ventilation, 4 sq ft per bird in floor space (not including the nest boxes), 1 nest box for every 4-6 birds and shoot for 11 linear inches minimum of roost space.
Walk in style coop and run... poop boards :bow.
15 sq ft per bird in the run.
 
DobieLover said:
Hello and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.
Design your coop to provide LOTS of ventilation, 4 sq ft per bird in floor space (not including the nest boxes), 1 nest box for every 4-6 birds and shoot for 11 linear inches minimum of roost space.
Walk in style coop and run... poop boards :bow.
15 sq ft per bird in the run.
Click to expand...
Ty very much for your advice
 
I wholeheartedly agree with getting the coop done now. You are going to love chicken TV as well. I personally think a Silkie rooster isn't the best choice as I rate my roosters on a scale:
1) Defends his hens dying for them if needed to protect them 2) treats the girls right by finding them treats 3) Doesn't over mate or harm a single hen.

My 3 mature boys fail at #1 on my list so they have an expiration date in our flock. During winters we have loads of avian predators here and a free ranging flock on 1 fenced in acre I need a rooster that calls alarms in the middle of the yard telling those hawks to come and get it vs. my silkies calling alarms once safe and under cover.

Are you going to incubate or order your initial stock? If you plan on brooding up your first chicken researching the MHP here on BYC is very much worth the time. Additionally, please let us know a general location in your profile even just the State or country is enough if it isn't the size of Alaska. I'm sure if you live in upstate New York you aren't going to trust someone from Miami giving you gardening advice! Once again Welcome to BYC!:frow

Here is where to find that on the web browser version of this site:
location.jpg
 
:frow Welcome from another nurse in New Orleans. You will find lots of great information in the articles section, also ask questions, they are lots of kind people who are willing to answer ANY question (or point you in the right direction to get that answer ) This is a really fun and informational place to hang out, and I hope you enjoy it.

The only real information I can offer now is to make sure you have plenty more room for your flock than you need or that you can easily add on to your coop and run. Most people say they are going to keep x number of chickens and in a few years end up with twice as many.
You may also want to check laws in your area regarding chickens and if these laws are enforced.
Good luck with your project and let us know how things are going, we love stories and pictures.
 

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