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New to Backyard Chicken Keeping and to BYC

BrightNCheerful

In the Brooder
Oct 4, 2023
2
25
41
My 11 year old daughter loves animals and has long said she wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up. We live on a small farm in Maryland where we have space for gardening and for some animals, so we’re trying to offer our daughter the animal raising experiences to be comfortable working with a variety of animals and to make an informed career choice when the time comes.

We have a dog and two cats, and she raised and sold two sheep for her 4-H project last year. Next year, she would like to raise chickens as a 4-H project. Given the number of eggs we eat as a family, this sounds like a great plan to me. We’ve been researching chicken keeping and planning modifications to the shed and small pasture we used with the sheep. Our hope is to have everything ready in time to get started with some baby chicks in the spring.

So far my daughter and I both love the idea of Buff Orpingtons for their reputation as friendly and relatively cuddly chickens. She’s also interested in Silver Laced Cochins for their pretty feather pattern and reputed friendliness, and I’m intrigued by Ameraucanas for their blue eggs. It remains to be seen what breeds we’ll be able to find locally, or if we’re better off ordering from a hatchery.

In my preliminary research, several searches have brought me to the pages of this site, so here I am, to hopefully learn more.

Thanks in advance!
 
Hello welcome to BYC. They are not friendly right away but once they get to know your daughter they will be following her around looking for lap time and treats. They get friendly fast if not rushed or chased. If your planning on raising them from eggs or chicks they, start laying at 5-7 months. I am only saying that because I do not know how long her 4-H project is. If it is not that long you can usually by them at 16-24 weeks of age. so they are ready to start laying. They can also be meat chickens. If your going to order your chicks online I suggest cackle hatchery. I think they only sell bantams after September. If I am right check out Murray McMurray hatchery. I think they sell till the end of October. I hope you find any of this information helpful.
 

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