Hello everyone. I wanted to introduce myself since I am new to the BYC. Very excited to become a member and hope to gain a great deal of knowledge about BYC!! I have lived in the city all my life and have retired and moved to the country! I live in Georgia where the weather is pretty nice most of the time. At least it is warm more than cold! What a beautiful place with the wide open spaces with beautiful sunrises and sunsets that I am able to see from my home in the country. No longer have buildings everywhere blocking nature at it's best!! So, first, I am obviously interested in raising chickens now and have lots of questions! I of course want them for the eggs, but would like to have them as sorta of pets as well. I have been researching a great deal and it appears the Rhode Island Reds would fit what I am looking for. Any other suggestions? I really have no desire to have roosters unless someone can tell me a good reason to have them. I have also been into Straw Bale gardening and understand that chicken poo is great for the gardens. I am so looking forward to this new adventure and hope to meet up with some of you online and exchange ideas and get much needed information. So look forward to hearing from any of you who would like to chat sometime online.
Congratulations on your new home, and good luck in establishing your flock. Click on 'The Learning Center' located at the top of the page, study the forums, question away, and plan and you will do fine in your new endeavor.
Hi Glad you could join the flock! It must be so much more relaxing for you living in the country now!! I just can't ever imagine living in the city. The learning centre sure is a great place to start ~ https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center Lots of great articles that will help you keep your new flock happy, safe and healthy. Wishing you the very best of luck and enjoy BYC
I'm glad you joined us!! I think the Rhode Island Reds are a great breed to start with, but I also recommend the Black Sexlink. They are a cross between a RIR and a Barred rock, and can be sexed at hatch, so you won't get any roosters, and the hens are great egg layers.
Hi and welcome to BYC! Joining your state thread (just type your state in the search box) will also put you in contact with other BYC members in your area which you may find useful. All the best CT
hi everyone,I just joined byc. I live in Golden Valley Arizona ,a small farming town there is every imaginable farm animal.We recently purchased 6 barred rock chicks and need to find out who may be a roo....we bought 3 bantams when we first moved here 5 mos ago and they like to corner the babies and pick on them.We were given a dog house in which we have converted to a coop for the barred rock chicks....Our question is ....can we let the chicks roam with in the same pen as the bantams or should we keep them separate..
Welcome to BYC! It's great to have you. Personally I would not recommend modern "Rhode Island Reds." What are usually sold as RIRs these days are nothing like real RIRs - they're as different as lemon water and orange juice. Real Rhodies are nearly extinct, and the birds commonly sold in their place are more correctly known as "Production Reds." And they are, frankly, ill tempered birds. They are very prone to aggression (toward each other) and feather picking. A good example would be what I see at my job - I work with an average of 300-400 pullets per month, helping my boss raise and sell them. In a batch of various breeds that does not include Production Reds, I'll see perhaps 10 or 20 birds who have feather loss due to picking, usually the smaller breeds. In a batch that does include PRs, I'll see perhaps 200-300 of them with feather loss! The only difference in these batches is the presence of Production Reds, usually no more than 20 or 30. Some good common alternatives to Production Reds would be New Hampshires, Red Sex Links, Black Sex Links, and Barred Rocks. New Hampshires look very similar to Production Reds and lay equally as well, but they share none of their pickiness and are very friendly towards people. Red Sex Links and Black Sex Links are hybrid production breeds, and both will outlay a Production Red any day of the week, and they are super curious with people (especially the BSLs). Barred Rocks are the old standby, and make good, friendly, productive backyard layers. As for roosters... I think they can be absolutely WONDERFUL additions to the flock - if you get a good one. A good rooster is all pros, while a bad rooster is all cons. A good rooster will lead the hens, show them food, warn them of predators, herd them into the coop at night, be flashy yard art, and even provide a decoy for hungry predators should that be needed - all for the price of a few pounds of feed a week. A bad rooster, on the other hand, will harass the hens, chase you, run from predators, and overall be a menace. The decision to bring a rooster into the flock ultimately depends on his owner's ability to remove him from the flock should he turn out to be a bad one. Certain breeds can be chosen to tip the scales in favor of a good tempered rooster - Orpingtons, Cochins, and Silkies are some excellent choices, and when it comes to roosters, it's well worth the time and money to purchase from a reputable breeder rather than a hatchery. Welcome to BYC! It's great to have you. For a full welcome from the whole BYC family, consider making your own introduction thread; you can do this by going to the main page of the Introductions forum and clicking the "Start a new thread" button. You might post photos of the birds of questionable gender in our "What Breed or Gender is This?" forum, and your question regarding integration could go into the "Managing your flock" section.
