New Chicken Owner in IL

[IndianSummerFarm]

Hello! I wanted to introduce myself and ask a few questions.

(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens? I just got them this past weekend! My first ever. They came with their coop. So far so good. They are in a fenced yard getting used to everything. Eventually I'll let them out to roam the entire farm.

(2) How many chickens do you have right now? 7 hens

(3) What breeds do you have? 2 buff orpingtons, a silver laced Wyandotte, an Isa brown, a barred rock, an Americauna, and one unknown. Any help identifying her would be great!

(4) How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com? Google

(5) What are some of your other hobbies? I show horses, do crafts, and flip houses.

(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share. I own a 5 acre horse farm in central IL. I have two barn cats, a dog, and horses.

Questions - what do I need to do in the winter to keep them warm and healthy?

Excited to finally have chickens!! I've been getting 4-5 eggs a day. The ladies are super sweet. What are some good treats for them?

 

[blackdust951]

hello and welcome to backyard chickens!some good treats are mealworms,earthworms,and pieces of fruit e.g.grapes

 

[IndianSummerFarm]

Here's the one I don't know her breed. She's black with a greenish iridescent tinge in the sunlight. I don't know what color her eggs are yet - haven't caught her laying lol.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC - thanks for joining us and congrats on your new flock!

You can post these pics on this forum, for the best feedback -
http://www.backyardchickens.com/f/15/what-breed-or-gender-is-this

These links may help re: winter
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/winter-chicken-keeping
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/winter-coop-temperatures

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 - http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/270925/find-your-states-thread#post_3239224

All the best

Pork Pie

 

[IndianSummerFarm]

Thanks for the links! I'll check them out.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

 

[Chicken_Guru]

Well, I'll let this one slide, but the black one is a Black Australorp. They have a tint of green if they are gleaming in the sun. My flock consists of 2 Rhode Island Reds, (Relatives of Isa Browns) an Easter Egger, (A relative of Ameraucauna) a Leghorn, and 2 Cuckoo Marans, I can't wait until the Marans start laying because their eggs will be dark, chocolate brown!!!!! Congrats and I hope you learn a lot here, like I did.

PS. Another sign to see the australorp is if their whole eye is black, and pretty big!

 

[NotAFarm]

Come on over to the Illinois thread if you'd like to talk with some of your neighbors.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/illinois.37/page-842

 

[Kiki]

Welcome to Backyardchickens.com aka BYC!
We are so glad you joined our flock.

Jump right in and make yourself at home.



This video will help you learn how to navigate this site:

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to Backyard chickens. I think your black could be an Australorp, what color are the bottoms of her feet.

Chickens generally can tolerate cold weather MUCH better than hot. If you have a draft free coop with sufficient ventilation, they'll do just fine