New member from north Florida

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Boppo said:
Glad to meet you, and welcome to BYC. That is so nice that you have a daughter in law who will supply you with some eggs to hatch! Here is an article on incubation. We have a whole forum about it so you can ask questions and chat as you go along. Best wishes with the hatch!

You may also want to look at this article about introducing 4 week old chicks to an existing flock, or this article about introducing adults to an existing flock.

Be aware that pre-built coops may not hold as many chickens as they advertise. I bought a pre-built that was actually recommended in Chickens for Idiots, and it SAID it would comfortably hold 6 chickens. It would really only hold 3 hens. I had to run out and find a built one from Craigslist. I was lucky to get one never used (because you don't want a used one). Sheds are good to convert, or you can just get an extra coop from TS, and have a duplex! Here is an article from Farmer's Almanac that discusses space needs for chickens, as well as where to place the coop.

A few articles that have helped me, in case you find them useful:

1. Common mistakes & how to fix them

2. Ventilation (important to chicken health), with helpful links to coop designs organized by climate (because what is just right for my New England hens won't work for my brother's Arizona chickens)

3. Predator protection for new & existing coops

4. Dealing with a muddy coop and run

5. (are you where winter is starting??) Winter chicken care

To look for articles on your own:

A. Use the SEARCH button, but use the Advanced Search choice, and select ARTICLES at the top of the box. Just enter your keyword(s) and scroll through your results!

B. I find it helpful to notice the rating and reviews. All articles are by BYC members, and all the reviews/ratings are as well. The ratings help a newbie like me sort the most useful and reliable articles.

C. You can bookmark the articles or posts you think you want to refer to again using that bookmark icon at the top of articles or posts. You can find them again by clicking on your own avatar and looking at the list of bookmarks you have built up!
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Wow! So much information and thank you so much! I too bought a coop that said it could hold 5 chickens,,,,if two stayed upstairs in the nests, two sat on the roost, and one stayed downstairs,,,yes, it would hold 5. I am converting a 10x10 shed for the coop and the two I have right now are in that 'holds 5 coop' inside the tractor supply fencing. I'm looking forward to this adventure. I just got to jump in....nervous about starting . So I will definitely read up and study all the links you gave me. Thank you so much.
 
dornellaram said:
I am nervous to start. It's just sitting there waiting on me to get up the nerve to take the plunge. How many days , if all goes well, should I expect the eggs to hatch. Also worried about taking care of day old chicks and keeping alive!
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I wrote a couple of articles that are in our BYC Learning Center that may help with hatching and brooding baby chicks...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/a-simple-guide-to-hatching-chicken-eggs.74574/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/brooding-chicks-the-first-6-weeks.74640/

Good luck and keep us posted!
 
TwoCrows said:
I wrote a couple of articles that are in our BYC Learning Center that may help with hatching and brooding baby chicks...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/a-simple-guide-to-hatching-chicken-eggs.74574/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/brooding-chicks-the-first-6-weeks.74640/

Good luck and keep us posted!
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Thank you for the links. I will definitely be reading those. I am still learning my way around the forum. When I figure out how to post photos, I will update with a few, but in the meantime I will keep you posted with words. :)
 
dornellaram said:
I have had two laying chickens for about a year now, and going to try my hand at the incubator.. My DIL is going to give me a few fertilized eggs to start. I don't want to order a few from the hatcheries and pay exorbitant shipping costs. I have my incubator, automatic everything, egg turning temperature control, moisturizing, etc. I don't have a rooster because I don't think my neighbors would appreciate him like I would. I do realize I'm taking a chance on hatching a rooster, but I do have a nice pressure cooker that he can end up in before the neighbors complain.
I'm excited to be here and learn all I can learn from all of you. My family always had chickens when I was growing up, and I had a few myself many years ago. I'm retired now and with the price of eggs, I'd just like to grow my own layers. I think I can do it, but feel better knowing I have a place I can go to for the right advice and answers to any questions I might have.
I bought a TS coop and have two layers in it already from a friend. I read somewhere that for a family of two, four chickens would supply the amount of eggs that family would need. I'm going for the number 6 right now.
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Update! I have three chicks in the brooder, one in the incubator and four eggs pipping! So excited! My first time incubating. I know, 'don't count your chickens until they're hatched' , I am not , I am patiently waiting to see if the last four completely hatch as easy as the first four did
 
dornellaram said:
Update! I have three chicks in the brooder, one in the incubator and four eggs pipping! So excited! My first time incubating. I know, 'don't count your chickens until they're hatched' , I am not , I am patiently waiting to see if the last four completely hatch as easy as the first four did
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Bet its exciting a your house 😁
 
Grammy60 said:
Bet its exciting a your house 😁
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It's sad at my house this morning. I lost four yesterday in the egg. Long story I'll make it short,,,,had one hatch early in the morning , left it in the incubator to fluff,,,,went to son's for a little bit, not even an hour, came home, nothing yet,,,,grabbed a bite to eat, checked this morning and they are dead in the shells. The one had gone nearly halfway around the shell, the other just had it's little beak out. I need to add that the shells were what I would call upside down, so I'm thinking the one I left to fluff had turned them somehow in it's flight around the incubator. So out of 11 eggs, 5 weren't fertile, they didn't 'take' anyway, and the six that did, I got four out of. That's not good odds at all. I doubt I do this again. Don't care for the disappointment.
 
dornellaram said:
It's sad at my house this morning. I lost four yesterday in the egg. Long story I'll make it short,,,,had one hatch early in the morning , left it in the incubator to fluff,,,,went to son's for a little bit, not even an hour, came home, nothing yet,,,,grabbed a bite to eat, checked this morning and they are dead in the shells. The one had gone nearly halfway around the shell, the other just had it's little beak out. I need to add that the shells were what I would call upside down, so I'm thinking the one I left to fluff had turned them somehow in it's flight around the incubator. So out of 11 eggs, 5 weren't fertile, they didn't 'take' anyway, and the six that did, I got four out of. That's not good odds at all. I doubt I do this again. Don't care for the disappointment.
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Sorry for the experience.
Try a broody hen the next time. That's the only way I've hatched chicks and it's a wonderful experience that I look forward to each spring.
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