New Member in New York State, with questions....

[Lapin63]

Hi to everyone! I do not yet have chickens...am hoping that my husband will give me the go-ahead next spring. I've been reading all I can on the subject and we love buying eggs from a small local farm down the road. I see chickens for sale and for free often on Craigslist and wonder if this might be a good way to start with a few, depending on the breed. We have a HUGE fenced-in yard 9couple acres with new 6' stockade fence)for my toddler and labrador, but wonder how much the chickens are going to poop all over and we won't be able to enjoy playing outside if we have to walk in it all the time. I assume we should section off a part of the yard just for them? Also, how do I know if it is too cold in upstate NY for them to be outside? Which breed should I start with ? I will probably begin with just a few chickens. I want to make sure they are gentle enough for a gentle 3-year-old girl. And our older dog won't be a problem.

I can't wait to begin....will have to get my hubby to build a coop and our daughter to start pestering him for a chicken!

Thanks!

-CJ

 

[bufforp89]

Join the NY thread!

NY is not too cold for chickens as long as you have a good coop, I would also just section off part of the yard for them to be in all the time and then let them out for shorter periods of time so that the poo dosnt build up.

Buff orps would be good to start with, they are gentle, cold hardy, forage well and lay eggs all year round. Craigslist is also a great source.

 

[jenjscott]

My advice would be to find the breed of your choice and find a breeder. The pure bred heritage birds don't cost anymore to feed than the others. They may cost a little more to start with, but that is usually a drop in the bucket. Now don't get me wrong, there are plenty of really nice wonderful hatchery chicks and mutts available out there if that is what you want, it doesn't matter, you will enjoy them. My recommendation would be to go with a buckeye or other pea or rose comb bird to ward off frost bite, they also tend to be very active even in cold weather, are usually built a little heavier to help tolerate the cold, and very little extra protection is needed over a dry, draft-free place to stay.

 

[Imp]

A warm welcome from an imp in Washington

A few chickens on a couple of acres doesn't pose much of a poop problem except they will likely follow you around and hang out by the house, so maybe sectioning off part of the yard is a good idea.
Lots of people in NY have chickens. As long as they can get dry and draft free cold is not a big issue. Supplementing light and heat are a choice you might want to consider if you are keeping them as pets.
Go to the top of the page and click on BREEDS, lots of info there.
A lot of people reccomend raising chicks for the experience and you are able to socialize chicks much easier to be friendly.
The dog? time will tell, just be careful. It's kind of an individual thing there.

Good luck & have fun,

Imp

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

We have Brahmas and Silkies, and we got brown leghorn chicks this past spring for white egg layers.

Haven't had any problems with wintering the Brahmas or Silkies over the winter. They get let out every day, unless it is snowing very heavy or sleeting/freezing rain. I do not use heat lamps in the coops for the adult birds. All I put in is a regular bulb for light.

I would reccommend a Silkie or two for your daughter. They are very gentle and friendly little birds, great for kids. My Brahmas are also very nice birds, even the roosters are friendly, and they are great egg layers of large brown eggs. The only thing is you just can't walk into the pen like I do with my silkies and pick them up/mess with the birds.

Craigslist is a good place to check for backyard chickens/pets. I list my pet quality silkies on there, ones that I can't use due to off coloring, etc. They do go pretty quick, especially in the spring.

Good Luck!






Where in NY are you? Im in the hudson valley area, southern columbia county.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Hello from Tucson and

Good luck with your chicken planning! The others have given good advice. You might also want to stop in and say hello on the NY BYC thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=231485&p=139

 

[jerseygirl1]

- Check out the NY Lovers thread for your neighbors!!

Barred Rocks are friendly, and your daughter would aboslutely LOVE a silkie!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Chickenmenagerie]

Do you have any feed stores in your area? Many of those have chicks in the spring. Tractor supply might have some by then too. I see a lot of ads on craigslist but I don't how how to tell who are the conscientious owners - I sure wouldn't want chickens that might bring mites, worms or disease.

 

[sheila3935]

We have a large yard that I have sectioned off into 3 sections first part near the house is for the dogs I dont trust them around my chickens and I have a dog door so they can go in and out as they please 2nd part is for my garden back part is for my chickens all enclosed in privacy fence with chain link between the yards. I started with one 8x8 coop now have 2 coops 1 16x8 the other 14x8

 

[chicken stalker]