New to backyard chickens forum

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pen

pen

Chirping
8 Years
Mar 28, 2011
31
1
92
Hi, This is my very first post. My husband and I are brand new to raising chickens. We have 30 acres and I thought it would be a fun hobby to learn about them. It is fun! We have 18 chickens, 8 of them are about 2 months old and 12 are about 1 month old. They are Americanas, Sex-Link, Rhode Island Reds and Australorps. Right now they are in the garage in a portable cage. As soon as the weather breaks we are ready to move them into a coop that my husband made out of a shed that was on clearance at Lowes. He couldn't have built a coop for what we paid for this shed. We were very lucky.
Here's my first set of questions... what is the best thing to put on the floor of the coop as a litter? Will the chickens go into their nesting boxes before they are ever able to lay eggs and is this okay? Can I start giving them treats now? and what is scratch made of and how is it used?
Thanks in advance!! Pen
 
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I use pine shavings. I have always had nesting boxes, my chickens ignored them until they began laying. They can have treats as long as they have grit. Scratch is a chicken treat pretty much.
 
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Currently I am using Deep litter pine shavings, but this summer when I clean out my coop it will be just sand. There are several threads on using sand and it has peaked my interest, so plan on giving it a try. I kept a piece of plywood over my nesting boxes until my girls were about a 12 weeks old, so they would roost instead of sleeping in the boxes and making poo messes. Not sure if it was necessary?? But, followed some BYC advice and it worked out well for me.

Good Luck and hope to hear more from you!!!!!
 
Hi there! Welcome from western Kentucky! Glad you chose to join us.
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This is a great place with an unbelievable amount of information -- I've found it to be an invaluable resource. Add to that the many, many friendly people who frequent this forum, and you'll see why the membership is growing so fast! You'll also come to realize something else -- on the home page when you see the warning about BYC's being VERY addictive: THEY'RE NOT KIDDING!!!
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Pull up a chair and stay a while...
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Aspen is great bedding, though pricey where I live.

Scratch is made from all sorts of grains and some with BOSS

(Black oil sunflower seeds) Some scratch has less in it than others.

Yes you can start giving treats now, but be sure to add in some grit.

It's ok if they 'play' in the nest boxes (if that was your question)

My roos play in the nest boxes every-so-often
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ScissorChick
 
Hi and Welcome from Arizona!

I didn't get around to putting nest boxes in the coops until I noticed the first egg.
I'm sure that is not how it's done, but I didn't have any poopy nest problems, and
still don't.
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