New member and new to chickens

[Naz223]

Hi There! New to BYC, and relatively new to chickens. Our family is going to be purchasing 4 chicks on Saturday. We only plan to raise hens.
I am a vet tech, but the only chickens our practice treats are predator related injuries. I plan to hit the books and brush up on my poultry medicine.
My husband grew up with chickens and other poultry. So he knows a thing or two. We have a daughter who is 10, and very eager to raise and care for them, as am I. We have been wanting chickens for years. We have a very large yard and plan to install a very nice, safe and secure chicken coop with run. I have seen first hand what a raccoon can do to a chicken if it doesn't kill it.
We live in the redwood mountains near the California coast. Wonderful climate, the very coldest it gets in the winter is the high teens.
We plan to raise them as pets AND egg layers, so we want them to be happy, loved and docile. I am very excited and I have read a lot on raising and caring for chicks and chickens, but feel free to offer advice!
Thanks!

 

[Peep-Chicken]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Be sure 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

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Sounds like you are on the right track for raising chickens! I'm sure your whole family will enjoy them!

Have you you thought about breeds yet? If you are wanting good layers and friendly birds who can withstand colder temps then I would recommend buff orpingtons, black australorps, speckled sussex, barred rocks, wyandottes and easter eggers. All are very docile and friendly along with being great layers of large eggs.

Good luck to you! Feel free to ask any questions.

 

[drumstick diva]

Glad you joined the flock. Sounds like you live in a beautiful area. Raccoons cause the most hideous injuries/death to anything they get their paws on, next to them dogs running loose seem to wipe out the most flocks. Everything loves chicken, and not in a good way.

 

[Naz223]

Yes! And unfortunately we have coyotes, bob cats, foxes and Cougars as well. But we live close to town so those predators are not as much of a risk.

 

[Naz223]

The feed store is getting wyandotte, Delaware, New Hampshire reds and Dominique. We were trying to decide what we want and which ones can grow up and live together. We do care about egg size and production, but with 4 chickens, variety would be nice. I've done a lot of cross reference, and it seems to me they are all cold hardy with decent to good egg production. Is there a problem with getting one of each chick?

 

[Mountain Peeps]

The feed store is getting wyandotte, Delaware, New Hampshire reds and Dominique. We were trying to decide what we want and which ones can grow up and live together. We do care about egg size and production, but with 4 chickens, variety would be nice. I've done a lot of cross reference, and it seems to me they are all cold hardy with decent to good egg production. Is there a problem with getting one of each chick?

Lots of times it's recommended to get some of the same breed. But there is nothing wrong with getting one of each

 

[Naz223]

That is the plan! Awesome!

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided join our flock. We used to live in northern California and spent a lot of time camping in the Redwood parks. I love the Redwood coast highway. It is the most beautiful area that I have ever seen (and I live in Hawaii). ) Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in getting your flock.