Newbie, 0 chickens

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Glad to meet you, and welcome to BYC, whether you want the chickens or not!

Besides indoor pet birds (parrots, etc), you might consider coturnix quail as an entry point. They are even easier than chickens to care for (so long as you do the predator protection thing right). They are lovely small birds with a songbird sized song, even the males' crowing. We have a quail forum here.

They are dusty birds, so few try to keep them indoors. But they mature MUCH faster than hens: 6 weeks compared to 22 weeks (or so). They can be eaten (I don't), or just kept for the eggs and fun (I do!) You get about an egg a day from each hen. The eggs are quite beautiful, in my opinion, varying by the color of the mother a bit, but most often being mottled brown over parchment shades. Looks a lot like other groundbird eggs. Small enough that it takes 3 of these to equal a large hen's egg.

They are tasty as deviled eggs, boiled, or as an omelette (crack them into a bowl and slide them all into the pan at once). You will want Quail egg scissors if you move this direction. The eggs are hard to open otherwise.

Here are my favorite beginning articles that helped me as a newbie. All articles are short, and have illustrations, and reviews, which are often worth looking at for the comments. Many are good for any type of poultry.

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)

4. Predator protection for new & existing coops

5. Dealing with a muddy coop and run

6. (are you where winter is starting??) Winter chicken care

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!

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.
 
Welcome to the coop! I use the Forums and Articles tabs at the top of the page to do research. You can get lost for hours. It's nice to know you are minutes away from getting help with questions and emergencies! I always check in the "What's New" section as well at the top of this page. This way I can read how I may have a similar question or help give some advice.
 

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