New Georgia Gal Anxious To Get Started

CountryGal76 · Jan 24, 2011

Hello everyone! My name is Carrie...I live in Blairsville, Georgia and me and my family have always wanted to raise chickens and have our own fresh eggs but until now we just havent had the space or area for it. We now live in a farmhouse that has lots of yard room and this year we have decided to get it up and running I am going to do my best at not being the newcomer that asks tons of questions that if they just searched the site they could find on their own lol, but I will probably have some since I want to do this right and not make any mistakes and know what to expect so we wont have any "surprises" later on We are thinking of having about 6 hens and one rooster...I know that you dont have to have a rooster to have eggs..I just would like having a rooster also because the cock-a doodle-doo's are music to my ears hehe, plus we plan on letting them mate to make more baby chicks ever so often..havent quite got all that figured out yet, not sure on how they mate or fertilize and not sure on how to "control" the population lol But I am super excited and looking forward to getting to know everyone better!

zaybird77 · Jan 24, 2011

Hey Carrie! I'm Zaya and I hope you like BYC! No one cares how many questions you ask, thats what we are here for!
Hope you have fun taking care of your first chickens!

crtrlovr · Jan 24, 2011

from western Kentucky! It's nice to meet you! You'll find lots of friendly folks on here (and a few toads, but hey, I guess that's to be expected with a membership in the thousands...) who are generous with their time and experience. I wish you well on your adventure! With chickens, there's never a dull moment.

Judy · Jan 24, 2011

Welcome!

Birth control is easier with chickens than most any other animal. Just eat the eggs.

I'm sure you've found the learning center and the stickies at the beginnings of forums, and the FAQ page by now. Sometimes a search doesn't locate what you need, though, as we know well, so don't hesitate to post a topic if you are stumped or just frustrated.

I wish I had bought just Black Australorps or just Buff Orpingtons so I'd have purebred chickens, or at least only the two so I'd only have one mix. Of course you can control breeds, if you want to build as many pens and coops as you have breeds.....

Here's a great link on broodies, since you want to raise your own; tells which breeds are most likely to brood and hatch chicks, as many hens will not:

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Broody-Hens-1.html

I have 7 chicks hatched by a broody yesterday -- we've been in the 20's many nights while she set on the eggs, and I not only don't heat or insulate, I have a very airish coop for hot days.

speckledhen · Jan 24, 2011

Hey, Carrie, I'm in Mineral Bluff, very near you! Welcome! Check with me when you're ready to have your chickens and I may be able to fix you up with some chicks.

CountryGal76 · Jan 24, 2011

Thanks to everyone for all the warm welcomes

ddawn...Thanks for the advice! Not sure yet which breeds we will be getting yet...basically just trying to get the dimensions of what the coop and run area needs to be so that we can get an estimate on how much lumber and fencing we'll need. Wanting to go the cheapest route since we are on a very strapped budget, just not sure if buying the lumber and having my carpenter husband build it will be cheaper rather than just buying a coop already made or a kit for one lol.

Cynthia...Well hello neighbor!! Yes you are very close to me Nice to see someone so close that I can go to ask questions about stuff that pertains to this area like temp, etc!