Newbie in eastern Kansas

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FarmerBlake

FarmerBlake

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Mar 4, 2016
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Location
Shawnee, Kansas
Hello everyone! New to chickens here in Kansas. Our family has been talking about raising chickens for a while and it's time to quit talking and start doing. Any helpful advice for a new chicken mom would be helpful. Thanks!
 
Hi welcome to BYC, a few tips are get chickens that will be suited to your area, if you live in canada you don't want an egyption fayoumis, if you live in florida a chantecler isn't for you, it you live in washington you don't wan to have silkies with foot feathers. make sure your protection is adequate for the predators in your area like if you have bears don't use chicken wire, if you live in the middle of town you don't need to have 1X1 inch welded wire with an electric fence on the outside, and wire two feet into the soil underneath the ground. another is determine what food you will feed them do you want all the healthy non corn non gmo non soy, which is very expensive, or just buy what is at you local feedstore or grain mill. Also for the coop and run you should have 4 sq. ft. of space inside the coop for each bird, and if you are going with a run you have to have a min. of 10 sq. ft in the run per bird. Make sure you leave room for growth chicken math is hard to resist, you will think you only want 2-3 chickens 2 months and 20 chickens later you are hooked. one last thing to think of while a pre made coop is tempting get a shed or build it yourself because the pre made ones aren't that good of quality mine lasted 6 mo. before the roof leaked and the roof also was peeling apart.
 
Hi :welcome

Glad you could join the flock! My best advice would be to check out the learning centre ~ https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center
There are lots of great articles that will help you keep your new flock happy, safe and healthy. Be sure to ask any questions, there really is a sectio for everything in the forum.

Good luck and enjoy BYC :frow
 
Welcome to the Backyard chickens flock. I think posting on your state thread is always a good choice. You may find Bycers in your neighborhood. Just put Kansas in the search box.
 
Greetings from the front range in Colorado
frow.gif
Welcome to BYC! As others have stated, there is already a wealth of info posted in the learning center and on the various threads.

Now, if you want to do this like most "ordinary" chicken peeps, you'll just run out to the local farm store and pick you up 10-15 chicks and bring them home. Don't worry, they're SMALL! No need to worry that you don't have a coop for them yet either... They'll need to stay in the brooder for at least 3-4 weeks, which is plenty of time for you (or your significant other) to (procrastinate & NOT) build that taj mahen coop you have pictured in your mind.

Also, I know you really only want to start with 5-6, but you might lose a couple along the way... you know, your dog decides one should be a chew toy, the cat had to play with one too so as to not feel left out, & some just aren't meant to survive. Also important to consider... if you want pullets (hens less than a year old) for eggs, you know 1/2 of what you buy will turn out to be the OTHER gender... you know, the one that CROWS and ticks off the neighbors?

Now, for that brooder I mentioned, that's the container for the chicks that you use to let them grow up a bit in before placing them in their new coop. Many folks bring them home and place them in the bathtub initially (which isn't the best option if you only have one bathroom) or in a large cardboard box placed in a spare bedroom or better yet, on the dining room table! You'll need a heat source for them for the first couple of weeks till they feather out. You don't want to place the heat lamp where you'll cook the chicks, and want to leave them enough space to get away from the heat and cool down if they need it. Some folks use heat pads placed like a tent that the chicks can get under (like a momma hen) when they need warmth.

When the 3-4 weeks is up, and the coop still isn't built, and the birds are now flying out of the bathtub (or box on the dining room table) and doing walk-abouts in the house (hate it when they hide under the couch and get stuck!), it will be time to give them the spare bedroom, all to themselves! You'll find those misplaced chicken turds all dried out and petrified in the most unlikely places months from now. Oh, and by this time you will have realized exactly how much DUST (dander) a group of chickens can make, and these aren't even near full grown yet! Just wait till they are! Anyway, recommend you place a tarp down in the spare room and some wood chips to help absorb some of the moisture. You can always replace the carpeting and repaint the room next year when the chickens finally move out into their own (finally finished) digs.

Anyway, welcome again and enjoy your adventure!
 
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x2 on reading up in the Learning Center and your state thread is a good place to find tips on your weather issues, breeders, vets, etc.

Good luck to you, you're in for a lot of fun!
 
You've been spying on us, haven't you Latestarter. Well the coop is built. With only minutes to spare! Did make a brooder box. One of those lovely ones from a plastic storage bin. Took all the time to make a lid (with hinge and handle - ooo) out of plexiglass with holes drilled in it only to have to take it off as the heat lamp tried to melt it. Well chicks can't fly out of boxes can they? They can and they DO! Badminton racquets work remarkably well in a pinch to keep escapees in their box. Finally turned a laundry basket upside down over the top to keep the little beasts contained. Started with 6 chicks and wouldn't you know it, three became roosters. Reason 4937 why I do NOT buy lottery tickets. Since we can't keep roosters, we had to get rid of our favorite chick. Why, why, you silly rooster, did you have to be the best looking chick in the bunch. Well, until our very pretty Snow (Phoenix/ISA Brown) came into her own. Have three more from the feed store in the brooder box downstairs that are supposed to be pullets. Not gonna say for sure until I see eggs! It's been a real adventure for the past 6 weeks. We absolutely love our chicks and wish we'd done this sooner. As for the chicken math, the city regulations keep us in check. Thankfully! Our limit is 10. May have to annex the neighbors yards.....
 

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