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elenachick

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Hi There,
Looks like a great community here at backyard chickens! My husband and I are excited to buy our first chicks this spring and have never raised chickens before. We are hoping to start building a coop soon to have ready by April. We live in the Seattle area and have 2 kids - one 4.5 year old daughter and a 2 yr old son. We want them to learn the importance of raising a garden and taking care of animals.
Thank you in advance for your help.
-ElenaChick
 
Welcome to Backyardchickens.com aka BYC! :frow
:yesss:We are glad you joined our flock.
Jump right in and make yourself at home.
Make sure you build a big enough coop before you get the fluffy butts.
This video will help you learn how to navigate this site:

CURRENT COOP CONTEST click here >>#1
 
Welcome ElenaChick! Great to have you here at BYC!

I'm in Western Washington, too, up north of you. And I have a daughter, too, who's eight now. She's been helping with the chickens since I had her throwing scratch to them as a toddler, and it has been an extremely positive thing for her (for me, too).
 
Welcome to BYC Elena, happy you joined us here. Have you given any thoughts to what breeds you WANT to keep?

If not here are some links from the livestock conservancy to get you eHarmonie'd up with the right match!(full page found here: https://livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/heritage-chicken-faq ):
Which breed should I get?
Which breed is right for me?
To determine this you have to answer several questions.

  • Where do you live? Pick a breed that is adapted for your climate.
  • What are your land and shelters like? If the birds are to range freely, choose a breed that is a good forager.
  • What do you want the birds to do? Provide the family with meat, eggs, both, neither? Choose a breed that best meets these needs.
  • Which breeds do you like? Pick one that you like to look at and will enjoy working with for years to come.
When you have answered ALL of these questions, and have written a job description for your future chickens, go through The Livestock Conservancy’s Pick a Chick Chart to help select the appropriate breed for you.

Which breeds are quiet & calm?
Asiatic breeds, like the Brahma and Cochin, are the calmest and quietest. The Mediterranean breeds, like the Leghorn and Minorca, are the most active and the noisiest. The American, Continental, and English breeds fall in between.

What breeds of chickens do well in extreme cold?
Heavy breeds with small combs and wattles are more cold-hardy and not as prone to frostbite. As examples the Chantecler, which was developed in Canada, has a cushion comb, and the Buckeye, which was developed in Ohio, has a pea comb.

I highly recommend their pick a chick link, also these aren't the only breeds you are limited to by a long shot!

:frow:welcome


Allen
 
G’Day from down under ElenaChick :frow Welcome!

Very exciting! :clap

You might be interested in downloading this free e-book My First Year With Chickens

I do hope you enjoy being a BYC member. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun.

I note you mention you are in the Seattle area, but if you include your general location on your profile, this will assist others. Location, climate, season etc can be important factors when members are responding to any questions you may have and vice versa.

You might want to also Find Your State Thread and pop in and say hello.

BYC has a Learning Centre and also Topic of the Week discussions which I have found to be a great resource and a one stop shop for questions which may have already been discussed within the BYC membership group. This one in particular may be of interest to you at this stage:
Topic of the Week - Getting Started, Keeping Chickens

Another article which might help with that 'which breed' decision: Pickin a Chicken and one on how much room: How Much Room Do Chickens Need

If you would like to share Pictures and Stories of your flock when they arrive, you have come to the right place. BYC’ers never tire of these and do not back away slowly or commence eye rolling when the photo album or home videos come out ;)

Best wishes and good luck!
 
Welcome aboard to BYC family gr8 people tons of information loads of fun enjoy shake your tail feathers
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elenachick said:
Hi There,
Looks like a great community here at backyard chickens! My husband and I are excited to buy our first chicks this spring and have never raised chickens before. We are hoping to start building a coop soon to have ready by April. We live in the Seattle area and have 2 kids - one 4.5 year old daughter and a 2 yr old son. We want them to learn the importance of raising a garden and taking care of animals.
Thank you in advance for your help.
-ElenaChick
Click to expand...

Glad you have joined Backyard Chickens another state resident here but Mossyrock is my locale as @Plip said we have a great state thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...me-together-washington-peeps.717207/page-4381
 

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