Newbie Chicken

[Katie2u]

I'm thinking of getting some chickens for laying eggs. What's the best way to start out. I also must say I have 4 cats, so I think maybe full size chickens would be best? Or, baby chicks? and where's the best place to get them?

 

[shelby h]

We have two cats, and they mostly just wanted to sniff them, BUT, to be safe we had the chicks behind a shut door! We kept ours inside the laundry room in a mini run made of cardboard and bedding.
We got ours from a feed store, but if you don't have one around, our don't trust the one you have, i think I've heard that my pet chicken Is the place for mail order chicks.

Oh. Get your coop and run ready for the little darlings. Build bigger than you think you'll need. DON'T buy a prefab coop, they suck. Baby chicks eat more than you think, get lots of food for them. A heat lamp isn't necessary unless where you're keeping them is cool/ cold.
One last thing, try to keep yourself from being with them 24/7. It's harder than it sounds! I work from home and got practically nothing done for a few weeks!

 

[cpsmith02]

I'm thinking of getting some chickens for laying eggs. What's the best way to start out. I also must say I have 4 cats, so I think maybe full size chickens would be best? Or, baby chicks? and where's the best place to get them?

If you decide to get chicks just get a brooder that the cats cant get into or keep the brooder in a room with a shut door that the cats cant get through. If you get chicks they are less expensive then the older chickens to buy. If you get chicks then I would suggest a place that is not straight run because you would be more likely to get a rooster at a straight run place. Unless you want a rooster or maybe two. I got mine from Bowman's hoping to not get a rooster because they weren't straight run and i had no rooster from there. The chicks we got from Bowman's turned into great hens and they were a boat load of fun to watch grow into hens.