Welcome to BYC, and greetings from another former lurker!
FYI, not everybody agrees about the cider vinegar in chicks' water, so read more about it before you decide. I think the idea is to provide some probiotics to help their immune system. I think I get the same effect by feeding my chicks (and grown hens, too) with mash. You make it by adding water to your chicken feed and let it sit so it ferments. It only takes a few hours to get a good ferment. I keep mash in a quart yogurt container, sitting in another, larger bowl to catch any overflow. I fill the yogurt container about 2/3 full with dry feed, and add water to cover. I wait a few moments for the bubbling to stop, and cover again. Put on the lid and let it sit inside its catch bowl. Spoon it out into a low saucer or bowl that your chicks can reach. It creates a lot less wastage than when chicks toss out or tip over their dry feed. Problems with pasty butt stopped after I put them on mash.
Here are my favorite beginning articles that helped me as a newbie. I hope you will find them helpful as well. All articles are short, have illustrations, and reviews, which are often worth looking at for the comments.
1.
Intro to chicken keeping
2.
Common mistakes & how to fix them
3.
Ventilation (important to chicken health), with helpful links to coop designs organized by climate (because what is just right for my New England hens won't work for my brother's Arizona chickens)
3(a).
Farmers Almanac on Building Coops (Includes size requirements!) Allowing plenty of space for chickens is really important because, even as chicks, they will start pecking each other or plucking their own feathers, or become unhealthy if they are overcrowded. Here is a
link to Colorado State Extension's publication on space and temperature requirements for chicks as they age.
4.
Predator protection for new & existing coops
5.
Dealing with a muddy coop and run
6.
Gardening for chickens
7.
BYC Lists of Chicken Ailments and Cures
To look for articles on your own:
A. Use the SEARCH button, but use the Advanced Search choice, and select ARTICLES at the top of the box. Just enter your keyword(s) and scroll through your results!
B. I find it helpful to notice the rating and reviews. All articles are by BYC members, and all the reviews/ratings are as well. The ratings help a newbie like me sort the most useful and reliable articles.
C. You can bookmark the articles or posts you think you want to refer to again using that bookmark icon at the top of articles or posts. You can find them again by clicking on your own avatar and looking at the list of bookmarks you have built up!
D. You can find posts just by entering your search word into the SEARCH box without choosing the Advanced Search option.
Notes about where to put a coop:
1. As far as you can, put a coop and run on high ground, that drains well, so you won't have so much muddy coop problems. Chickens need to be dry, dry, dry.
2. As far as you can, put a coop with the ventilation lined up with your prevailing breezes, and away from the direction of your storms. If you are not sure of these (who is these days?), check with your local National Weather Service website.
3. As far as you can, arrange for some sort of shade over your coop and run. Preferably deciduous so the girls will enjoy winter sun, but summer shade.
.
and keep an eye out for pasty butt the first few days. There are lots of helpful people and info here.
to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!
