Newbie in Riverside county CA

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shorty7978

shorty7978

Hatching
7 Years
May 21, 2012
8
0
7
I have been stocking BYC for a while now and we just bought a house with 2 acres and I cant wait to move in so I can start my own coop! I have been looking at coops and at chickens and have decided to start with a brood of about 6 chickens no roosters at this time. I'm a little scared of birds but I love baby chicks so I hope that getting them little will help with my fear of flapping winged angry birds. I decided on 2 Silkies because of their striking appearance and 4 Orpingtons due to their egg size and from what I hear their docile nature. I wanted to have free range chickens but we do have coyotes in Ca so I have decided against this so we will have them in a coop with predator control...fingers crossed. Because I have never had chickens before any information and advice is greatly appreciated. One last thing keeping little baby chicks sounds like a lot of work so advice and what to expect would be great to know.

sincerely,

Laurie
Riverside County, CA
 
Hello and welcome to BYC!
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Have a look at the Raising Baby Chicks section of this forum. Lots of info and advice there. And there's lots under Coop Design and Construction to give you ideas as well.

And feel free to ask any questions you may have. We're here to help.
 
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from Ohio! Do check the Raising Baby Chicks Forum.

We just hatched 25 chicks last Monday.

They needed:

A brooder, metal, cardboard, plastic, wood. Doesn't matter, just a safe place to corral them.
An absorbent bedding, that is not slick so they don't slip and slide. We use pine shavings covered with paper towels for the first 2 weeks then withdraw the paper towels.
Chick feed (keep this out from under the heat source)
Water We use chick saver and a teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar with mother (Braggs is one brand) added to the water - keep this out from under the heat source
A source of heat. If they are warm enough most of them will roam around most of the brooder, some may stop under the heat, nap a bit, then be up and moving around.

Finally, the more you handle them the more they will want to be with you and not fear you. Speak softly and move slowly.
Happy chicks will make light sweet chirping sounds, investigate most of the brooder, eat and drink as needed. Cold or distressed chicks will peep loudly and persistently.

You can tell from the needs list they will eat, drink, sleep and poop, a lot. LOL Enjoy.
 

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