Boppo
Crossing the Road
Glad to meet you, Marvin's person, and welcome to BYC. What an interesting collection of animals you have! Do be sure that your town allows chickens, and find out about any restrictions (number of birds, distance from neighbors, roosters). The simple thing is to call your local government - town hall, or if there is a Homeowners' Association, check there, too.
I hope you can get your backyard chickens! Here is a fun article to help you think about different varieties of chickens you might want.
You will want to learn about chicken coops and ventilation, so here is a terrific article about that, which includes links to several coop designs, organized by the type of climate you and Marvin are enjoying (or enduring).
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. Intro to incubation and Brooding chicks (or you can just get started pullets or finished birds)
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!
I hope you can get your backyard chickens! Here is a fun article to help you think about different varieties of chickens you might want.
You will want to learn about chicken coops and ventilation, so here is a terrific article about that, which includes links to several coop designs, organized by the type of climate you and Marvin are enjoying (or enduring).
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. Intro to incubation and Brooding chicks (or you can just get started pullets or finished birds)
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!
Glad you joined.
