New to chickens and to BYC. Any tips?

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BackyardBradshaw

BackyardBradshaw

Songster
Jan 26, 2021
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Florida, USA
Hi, I'm Ayla. It's going to take a little while to learn how to navigate this app. It seems pretty interesting.
My family and I just purchased 12 acres in North Central FL and are looking to fix up this old coop (see pictures). We've got tons of spiders, ticks, roaches, mosquitos, and who knows what else and figured a flock of free range chickens would help.
We've been doing a lot of research and feel like we have a base understanding of what we're getting into, but am open to any tips I can get!

What would you say are the top 5 important things to do when starting out as new chicken raisers? Lol what is even the proper term for that??
 

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Hello, Ayla, and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.
You've got a decent frame there. Replace the chicken wire with 1/2" hardware cloth, install a predator apron around the entire enclosure to prevent anything digging in and put a solid roof over the entire thing.
If you are going to free range, you will lose birds sooner or later to predators.
I like feeding 18-20% protein in a complete feed year round and put out oyster shell for active layers.
 
Hi and welcome.... glad you joined!

Here are 5 good ones....

1. JOIN BYC! Good move.

2. If you have a great deal of predators checking if keeping them in run would be better would be one thing to think about.

3. Another, what breeds do you want? Will you hatch them or get them as adults? This is really fun to plan!

4. Good those old coops are there. However, they'll need quite a bit of renovating. You might even want to start over..... scroll through coop articles for tips on styles, sturdiness and what's right for chickens.

5. though they can keep insect populations down, they won't completely eradicate these beastly bugs. And another pro is eggs!

It's so great you've been doing research. That's a sign of happy future chickens!
 
Exciting new adventure! Pea fowl are reportedly good for ticks - but noisy - and they will want to roost in your trees. Aromatic plants around all borders is a good idea, and deal with anything gathering standing water. Looks like you have a pool and 2nd pen for Ducks! Do you have a groundwater source?

As for this site - best search and scan articles and Forum topics before posting questions. Often the answer is already awaiting. Have fun and return often! We'll enjoy any pics you share.
 

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