new member and getting my first chickens soon!

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lilmagill

lilmagill

Songster
10 Years
Mar 26, 2014
142
34
176
davidson, north carolina
hi all,
my coop and run are almost finished and i'm excited at the prospect of getting 3 chickens. although i have done a nit of research i am quite new to this and have some questions :) i was thinking of getting one super layer, like a golden comet, and 2 heritage breeds, so that the laying would be a bit more spread out. i would prefer pullets, so that i can introduce them to the outside immediately without more special equipment or care, or too much worry about our cat and dog. i will be very mindful of socializing all the animals, but the chickens will free range too, and i just think pullets would be easier. if i can't find all pullets, is there a danger of say, one pullet bullying the chicks? do i need to make sure they are all the same age? since they will be pets as well, is there any advantage to getting chicks instead of pullets? thank you so much for your help!
 
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Welcome to BYC!

I prefer chicks over pullets as I like them to bond with me so they are less afraid and are more friendly. But, started pullets are ready to lay and they can be tamed up if you work with them.

You will want to keep birds of the same age and size together. You can't put chicks in with pullets or adult birds until they are about the same size. You can mix new birds in later if you need to. But do it slowly over several weeks time. There are a few articles here on BYC on how to introduce new birds.

You might want to start by doing some reason in our learning center. Lots of good reads on all the aspects of keeping poultry...

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

While you are there, you can stop by our breeds page to see what other members are saying about the different breeds...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/category/chicken-breeds

Here is a nice breeds page I like. Gives you quick info on the different breeds as well...

http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/chooks/chooks.html

Great to have you aboard and enjoy your new adventures!
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! For started pullets you might post in / check out your state thread for local birds https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/270925/find-your-states-thread You can also post a Want ad in the BYC Buy Sell Trade forum after you have 20 posts. It is a lot easier if your chickens are the same age/size, if you get a pullet or two and some chicks the chicks should be about the same size before you try to keep them together... there is a good article in the Learning Center on adding / combining birds https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock Many people do like to start with chicks since they are just fun and cute, but they are more work... they are also usually tamer if you raise them yourself, but even started pullets can be tamed down and will get really friendly if you work on it.
 
I would also watch out for dogs and cats, often it's family pets or neighbors dogs running free that will decimate your flock.
 
i have a dog and a cat and planned on spending alot of time socializing them both. not worried about the dog. he has not one aggressive bone in his body. but the cat has hunting instincts. any advice?
 
Welcome to BYC. I learned all I know from the good people on here.tons of good advice here. Enjoy
 
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