Newbie from Tacoma WA USA!

[TahomaChickens]

Hi all! I'm just about to jump into the backyard chicken game and am very excited! Have been doing research for a while and just found someone giving away a coop and 2 young hens, so am taking the leap this weekend!

I'm in Tacoma Washington and have a relatively small urban home we bought this summer. The front yard is my garden, the back is currently lawn, but will be slowly converted to more natural landscaping (and maybe more garden space!) over the next few years. We have a back shed whose roof extends about 7 extra feet (previous owners stored a small trailer under it)--I'm converting that area into the chicken run!

Very excited to start raising chickens and welcome any/all advice! To start: what's the one (or two or three!) things you now know, that you wish you'd known before you started?

 

[sourland]

Hello, and welcome to BYC. It never stops at just two. Build your coop far bigger than you think you will ever need.

 

[silverhair67]

howdy, and Happy Thanksgiving, lots of knowledge on here, mistakes and success, here is the learning center

 

[silverhair67]

Hello, and welcome to BYC. It never stops at just two. Build your coop far bigger than you think you will ever need.

amen to that

 

[TahomaChickens]

Hello, and welcome to BYC. It never stops at just two. Build your coop far bigger than you think you will ever need.

I already intend to expand!

 

[swamphiker]

Welcome to BYC! I am also an urban chicken-keeper and love having my little backyard farm. I like to have 5-6 hens so that I have plenty of eggs to gift to friends and neighbors who put up with a bit of extra chicken noise since our houses are fairly close together.

 

[BlueBaby]

Hello, and welcome! Good luck with your new flock!

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
One, build a walk-in style coop.

Two, don't ever build to the bare minimums for the coop or the run. Make them as large as you can physically and financially. You will never regret making the coop and run too large.

Three, make sure you choose birds that are well suited to your climate.

 

[Grammy60]

Hello and welcome to BYC So happy you have joined us.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens.. This a link to our state thread. Happy Thanksgiving
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...me-together-washington-peeps.717207/page-5062