Hello everybody, I am happy to be on here. I just found this site and am hoping to be able to learn from each of you and from your experience. I am brand new, not only to this site, but also to the idea of having chickens and am hoping to start at the very beginning and get some help that maybe I can repay at some point in the future. Let me answer the questions requested from this site. Then I will probably make a few posts and hopefully figure things out from there. Thank you all in advance for any help you are willing to give to me. (1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens? I am brand new to chickens. I do not have any chickens yet but hope to get some very soon, maybe even this weekend. I am hoping to gain some help in deciding what to do before I go out and buy any. I would like to be successful and make as few mistakes as I can the first time around. I have always lived in a city and never thought I would enjoy animals other than the typical dogs and fish. I moved my family out to a smaller city a couple years ago, and since then have become more and more interested in different things like this. While I am still in a city, it is more rural and we are very happy for it to be so. (2) How many chickens do you have right now? None. I am hoping to change that very soon. (3) What breeds do you have? None yet. Still in the research phase. (4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens? New to this. Excited to find this answer out. (5) What are some of your other hobbies? I enjoy a lot of outdoor activities and most sports. I am learning about gardening and making lots of mistakes there trying to get rid of my black thumb but it is going along well. I also love animals, especially dogs and tropical fish. I have kept saltwater aquariums successfully and now am into the African Cichlid scene as well. (6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share. I have a few other pets including two small dogs and 3 fish tanks with about 45 fish combined. (7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community? I have been looking for a community like this as I have had luck with them in the past for the other animals I keep. I finally found it today so registered immediately when I found it. I am very excited to be here and learn from everyone.
Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined. Okay. That's great that you want to learn and not make "too many " newbie mistakes. First lesson: don't get the chicks this weekend!!!! You need to have your coop and run nearly completely finished before even thinking about getting chicks. Then you need to set up your brooder. I personally highly recommend brooding right in your coop with a brooder plate or MHP. Chicks absolutely thrive that way. Good luck and have fun with your planning and research.
Welcome to BYC, and good luck in establishing your flock. Set your goals, study the forums, ask questions, plan and you and your flock will be successful.
Hello, and welcome! Glad that you joined. Worry about getting the coop and run done first, then get your flock. If you are getting new chick's, then you will need a brooder and heat lamp set up for them.
Hi and welcome to BYC and congrats on your new hobby. Here are some links to key resources: List of guides on how to use the site - announcements-feedback-issues-guides.3 Great resource for beginners = https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/learning-center.11/ Good starting point for browsing the site - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/ Interesting feedback on how members manage their flocks -https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archives Excellent source of local information - Find your State's thread. Best wishes Pork Pie