Newbie here - hope I’m in the right place!

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PouleChick said:
Bonjour :frowand welcome from France! Sounds like you have a great set up!
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Yes, you can move your chicks outside to the coop almost anytime as long as they have a heat source available. Some people start outside from day one, but I like to keep a brooder in the house for at least a week or two before moving them out. Any longer than 4 weeks, they'll be causing quite a big dusty dandery mess!
Kick The Heat Lamp: Better, Safer And Healthier Options To Heat Your Brooder
You Certainly Can Brood Chicks Outdoors

I would think your local stores should carry breeds appropriate for your area, but I think these would do pretty well in your climate:
Welsummer
Deleware
Barred Rock
Leghorns
Easter Egger (sometimes labeled Ameraucana)
Buff Orpington

You could always go with a mixed flock and not only have colorful chickens, but a colorful egg basket too. Stay away from straight run or "special deals" because those are usually a very high percentage of cockerels, not egg layers.
Even with heat tolerant breeds, providing enough ventilation in the coop is really important... and choosing a location in the shade will help.
Chicken Coop Ventilation - Go Out There And Cut More Holes In Your Coop!

I would also recommend socializing your dog to the chicks, but always on leash at first. Herding breeds can be a lot more excitable and unpredictable. Teach him the "leave it" command and give very high value treats (like small pieces of hot dog or roasted chicken) as a reward every time he looks away or acts uninterested. The goal is to take away the mystery of these fluffy fascinating new creatures and make other stuff seem more appealing. Every person who's ever believed they can just keep dogs/chickens separated forever ends up having tragedy down the road. Untrained/unsocialized dogs are notorious chicken killers. This link has some ideas to help:
How did YOU train dogs to leave chickens alone
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My very excitable dog Daisy has become really good around my birds and she's discovered the next best reward for hanging out with chickens is their poop! :sick

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My girls ended up taking over one of my garden beds so I decided to give in and blocked it off a bit to protect my plants from their exuberant scratching and rolling. They were pretty happy with this dust bathing area and left all my veggies alone... except the tomatoes that grew too close to the ground.

Have fun planning your new chicken adventure!
 
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