New to chickens... Oklahoma

Date sort Score sort
KHaws

KHaws

Chirping
8 Years
Apr 23, 2013
48
2
84
Berryhill, Oklahoma
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Hi all!! my name is Kelly. My husband and I are wanting to start raising chickens, we are going to start out with just doing egg layers/dual before adding in the meat only. I have done a lot of online research, there is so much information out there, that it gets confusing. I did go ahead and copy the questions that way i can give useful information. :)[/FONT]

(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
A.) yes, very new to chickens, my aunt and uncle raised chickens in NE and i would play with them as a kid, thats as much experience that i have.

(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
A.) none, we are looking into the best ones for our extreme hot/cold temps. and the Hubby would love some Easter Eggers as well.

(3) What breeds do you have?
A.) see above

(4) How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com?
A.) google is wonderful, I have been reading articles on this site for about a month now.

(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
A.) well my husband and I have 4 children together, so our hobbies revolve around the kids hobbies.

(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
A.) well my husband and i live on a little under 1 1/2 acres, a lot of it is wooded. we have 4 children together, ages 3- 7 (hence the EE hens, to get the kids more excited about it). we have 2 indoor/outdoor cats and 1 great Pyrenees puppy. We are really starting to get into the non-gmo and all organic lifestyle. We are also looking into starting our own garden that is non-gmo as well. also a compost. Our kids seem to be excited thus far, anything that lets them stay outside longer is a big bonus to them. :) My husband and I also like to go walking, and are starting to get into running to do runs around where we live (just outside Tulsa).

Other questions that I have not been able to find answers to are:
1.) what is the difference in the Tulsa County vs. Tulsa City laws/ ordinance [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]on how many chickens we can have?
2.) what is the best way to have broody hens and just egg laying hens (separated?)?
3.) how easy is to to actually mix and match chicken breeds?
4.) Where is the best place to get chicks that have not been given gobs of hormones/antibiotics (the all natural way as much as possible)?[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]any other information you feel would be good for us to know would be greatly appreciated. Thank you :)[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]K.Haws[/FONT]
 
1. not sure but start here https://www.cityoftulsa.org/our-city/city-charter--ordinances.aspx
2 Build a small pen with nest to put in the coop or better yet build a separate small coop just for them. Having multiple coops some distance apart is a great asset. That way you can quarantine injured, sick or new birds as well as broodies.
3. Most breeds combine well. I like to stick with like sizes though. Some breeds like RIRs tend to be bullies in mixed flocks but every chicken is an individual. I like a mixed flock for the different feather and egg colors.
The easiest way to mix birds is to give them plenty of space and free range if possible.
4. Most baby chicks won't have been given anything but the same can't be said for the parents. You have to request hatcheries to vaccinate which I never do. You're close to Missouri so you might want to check out the Missouri Poultry Yearbook which lists every breeder in MO enrolled in the NPIP.
http://mda.mo.gov/animals/pdf/poultry_yearbook.pdf
Buying from a breeder usually gets the most healthy stock. You can visit and see what the adults look like and how they're kept. From a hatchery you have no idea. The only drawback is if they are selecting for show stock they may lose some of their productivity which hatchery birds are usually good for. It depends on the breeder and their purpose.
There's a guy in Oklahoma that bought a very nice line of Barnevelders that lay very dark eggs. . If you PM me I can give you his e-mail.

Worry more about the heat than the cold. In fact the only thing I would worry about in OK in winter would be ice storms bringing branches and trees down on your coop.
Stay away from really cold hardy heavy feathered breeds that you might lose in the summer.
Mediterranean breeds tend to be heat hardy. Jaerhons are great for both heat and cold.

Good luck.
 
Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan
big_smile.png


Google the Henderson Chicken Chart, it gives information such as how well breeds fit into a mixed flock and their cold or heat hardiness.

The most chicks will have received would be vaccination for Marek's disease, and medicated feed to prevent illness and death from coccidia parasites. This medicated feed is NOT an antibiotic, and can really help reduce sickness and death in young birds. The Learning Center has a good section on raising chicks.
 
Last edited:
Thank you all for the info. :) I have been reading all the the learning center info as well as information online that I find. My husband and I think we have come up with the layout of the coop now just to figure out exactly how many sq feet we want. We have also decided what chicks we want to get. I have been hanging out in the okie thread. Hope everyone has a good day!
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom