South Dakota Guy
Songster
HI everyone. I just joined today as this seems a great site to learn about chickens. I am 61 y/o and I live with my wife in South Dakota. My wife has been wanting to raise chickens for a while so I am doing my best to support her in her new hobby. We live in a small city near Sioux Falls but we are allowed to raise up to 6 hens in our backyard. I will follow the accepted format from here on out.
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
Yes, we are new to chickens. So new that we don't even have a coop (on order but not delivered) and no chickens yet. My wife watches a lot of YouTube channels that are done by different people with farms and rescues etc. My wife is very nurturing and she loves animals and children. She raised 4 kids (all grown) and now we have 4 dogs. Coincidence? I don't think so lol. We have had Guinea pigs and various fish and currently have one Russian tortoise.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
0 chickens. It looks like we will probably have 4 chickens as that is what the coop I ordered will hold according to the guidelines that I read here. Our coop will be 16.5 sq ft and the run will be 38.5 sq ft. The manufacturer listed it as holding 8 to 10 chickens.
(3) What breeds do you have?
Obviously we have none at this point but I think the breed that interest us the most is Barred Rock followed by Rhode Island Red. WE need cold hardy birds that will do well in our harsh winters where temps often get below 0 and sometimes as low as 20 below 0.
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
Unknown at this point but we are looking forward to having fresh eggs.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
We enjoy fishing, cooking, NFL and relaxing at home watching a movie or one of our favorite shows.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
My wife has 4 children from a previous marriage and they have blessed her with 10 grandchildren. I have one daughter who has blessed me with 4 grandchildren. We have 2 Cavachons (king charles cavalier spaniel and Bichon mix) and two Morkies (Yorkshire terrier and maltese mix). One Russian tortoise.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
I found BYC while doing a web search for sexing chicks. I did a little reading and decided that BYC would be a good resource for learning about raising chickens.
e in a small city
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
Yes, we are new to chickens. So new that we don't even have a coop (on order but not delivered) and no chickens yet. My wife watches a lot of YouTube channels that are done by different people with farms and rescues etc. My wife is very nurturing and she loves animals and children. She raised 4 kids (all grown) and now we have 4 dogs. Coincidence? I don't think so lol. We have had Guinea pigs and various fish and currently have one Russian tortoise.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
0 chickens. It looks like we will probably have 4 chickens as that is what the coop I ordered will hold according to the guidelines that I read here. Our coop will be 16.5 sq ft and the run will be 38.5 sq ft. The manufacturer listed it as holding 8 to 10 chickens.
(3) What breeds do you have?
Obviously we have none at this point but I think the breed that interest us the most is Barred Rock followed by Rhode Island Red. WE need cold hardy birds that will do well in our harsh winters where temps often get below 0 and sometimes as low as 20 below 0.
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
Unknown at this point but we are looking forward to having fresh eggs.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
We enjoy fishing, cooking, NFL and relaxing at home watching a movie or one of our favorite shows.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
My wife has 4 children from a previous marriage and they have blessed her with 10 grandchildren. I have one daughter who has blessed me with 4 grandchildren. We have 2 Cavachons (king charles cavalier spaniel and Bichon mix) and two Morkies (Yorkshire terrier and maltese mix). One Russian tortoise.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
I found BYC while doing a web search for sexing chicks. I did a little reading and decided that BYC would be a good resource for learning about raising chickens.
e in a small city
Glad you joined.
