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LadyBugMom09

LadyBugMom09

Hatching
5 Years
Apr 17, 2014
2
0
7
Hi!! My husband and I just bought our first house and my dream of having chickens, veggie garden, fruit trees and flowers is coming true!! I found a local farm where I can purchase either chickens or chics. Any advice on.what would be best for a novice like me?? My husband says to get a mix of both adult and baby chics.
 
Welcome to BYC!
frow.gif
We're glad to have you. Personally, I'd start with chicks. It is quite enjoyable to watch them grow up, and they will be tamer if you raise them yourself. However, if you want eggs quickly, older birds would be a better idea.
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! Congratulations on your new home! Sounds like you are going to have a really busy spring and summer getting everything planted and done!
If you can manage the birds, I would consider getting both chicks and older birds. Like Wyandottes7 said, chicks are really cute and fun to have and they tend to grow into tamer chickens if you work with them from the beginning, and you can often find chicks of breeds you can't find as older birds, but they are a lot more work and are more delicate...
With older birds, they don't tend to be as tame since they usually have not been treated like pets, but on the other hand getting eggs four or five months sooner with older birds is really nice, if you work with them, especially bribing them with food, they usually do come around and and become friendly.
The big problem is you will not be able to combine the two ages until the babies are about the same size as the older birds... the best method is usually a few weeks or more of seeing but not touching each other through wire, so you would need to either have your coop divided into two sections or figure out some way to have a cage etc inside the coop for the babies while they get to know each other. The Learning Center has a good article on integrating flocks (after the quarantine section) www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-adding-to-your-flock
You might also like to check out the BYC Learning Center, lots of good articles on all aspects of chicken keeping. https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center And it is always fun to check out your state thread for chicken keeping neighbors https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/270925/find-your-states-thread
 
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Welcome to BYC!

It is entirely up to you. Wyandottes7 has a point...chicks are easy to bond with and are fun to raise. But as Kelsie says, adult birds will be laying those eggs right away. I am partial to starting with chicks. I prefer to raise them myself, I know where and how they were raised, I know what diseases they have or have not had, kind of like buying a used car. If I can afford to go with a new one, that is the better way for me.

As for mixing different ages, it takes time, but can be done. Follow the link that Kelsie provided on adding to your flock.

Good luck with what ever route you go on, either way, you will enjoy keeping chickens. Welcome to our flock!
 
Thank you all!! I probably won't get a flock for a few more months. I am somewhat of a researcher and like to know as much as I can before I take on a task. I am learning a lot hear and from the feedback, I'm thinking chicks are the way for me. :) Thanks again!!
 
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Good luck with your poultry raising adventures, and I hope you find everything you need to know. Don't forget to take a look at BYC's very useful learning center (If you haven't already)! The learning center as well as the forum should answer your questions! There is always something new to learn! Glad to have you here! See you around with the flock.
 
I agree with 2Crows, I think it's best to start with chicks. If you get older birds they are used to a certain routine and housing, all of which changes when they move in with you. Some may have habits that are hard to break.

If you start with chicks, they will start by learning your routine, your coop, from the start.
 

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