New Mexico

[CibolaChooks]

Im thinking three pullets and two cockerels would be better

 

[Whoops]

lol - I wouldn't object

c'mon chickies!

 

[CibolaChooks]

Hows the hatch coming along whoops.

I have a few cl some black and lav split ameraucana as well as some lav cochin project eggs im the bator now. Waiting is no fun.

The sportsman cabinet incubator just arrived oh yeah

 

[greenchile]

Hi folks. I'm new to the BYC forum and just got directed to the New Mexico forum. My wife's been bugging me for a few years to get chickens and I finally decided to throw caution to the wind and give it a shot. Being new to raising and keeping chickens, I'm a bit green. I've got a lot of reading to do on this site for starters. I'm thinking about buying a coop my wife saw at Sam's club to get us started. Any other thoughts or suggestions to get us going? I'm assuming I can probably find chicks at one of the feed stores in Corrales or the North Valley come March/April time frame. Any other suggestions? Our goal is to have a few chickens that the kids can have some of the responsibility for while also getting a reasonable supply of fresh eggs.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hi Greenchilie and again, welcome to BYC! As mentioned in the introductions, if you are coming down to the Ruidoso area, PM me before you are planning to arrive. I will give you directions to our place if you plan on stopping in Alto.

 

[Whoops]

Hi Steen. The marans eggs are on Day 20. Gosh it's hard to wait for the hatch! C'mon, chickies!

My two older pullets are 26 or 27 weeks and still no eggs

I keep talking to them about chicken soup and freeloaders, but alas, they don't listen. They know I am a pushover and they are cute.

Hiya, Greenchile! I am pretty new at this, too. I got my first two chickens in August. They haven't even laid their first egg yet. My coop is a converted 4 x 4 x 4 doghouse I got off of freecycle. I have seen coops in the feedstores and on Craig's list. Dan's Boots and Saddles and Miller Feed have coops that I have seen. The others probably do, too. There is also a swap that might have people that make them. Go big. Make you coop big enough to get into to clean, and stand up in, and with way more room than you need for feed, water, roosts, nestboxes, etc. Don't forget you also need a place to store feed, bedding, chicken medications, etc. Also, you will probably want a place to brood chicks. I got my older pullets as four-week-old chicks from a feed store. That seemed like a good age, if you go that route. They are still little and cute, but have enough feathers to be out of a brooder. Or you can order them from Wilbur's Farm in Belen, or several people here at BYC in the area will have chicks come spring.

Another route to go on the coop that I would like to do if I had the $$ is to get one of those pre-built sheds. Cut a pop door in it and you could section part of it off for feed or put trashcans with lids in there for the feed and bedding. Sturdy, weatherproof, roomy, easy to get into and out of, minimal remodeling to suit the purpose. Just a thought.

In addition to this NM thread, there is "NM Poultry Swaps and Info" on FB, and the "Albuquerque Coop and Garden Tour."

Also, there are 4-H groups in the area that do chickens. It might be a way for your kids to show them and meet other kids and learn from others and/or make friends with similar interests.

Congratulations on getting suckered into the chicken-keeping thing

It is a lot of fun.

 

[CibolaChooks]

Chicken math might get out of control now

 

[Whoops]

Wow - that will fill up the coop pretty quickly!

 

[CibolaChooks]

Lol forsure. I can have around a 100-120 chickens with my 9 pens and can make 19 breeding pens within those. This can hatch 288 chicks with the medium size egg trays

 

[Whoops]

One chick so far. Hoping some of the others hatch. This one appears to be a blue Ursula