Just saying Hello from Toledo OH. Newbie chicken addict. Coop is in process. Had ordered chicks but my brother says not to raise day old chickens in the winter. Plan B was to get laying hens from around my area. After reading the Forum, looks like that would not be a good idea. So back to my original plan ... is it all that difficult to raise hatchlings? (I work from home with a very flexible schedule.)
from California, raising chicks isn't hard, they need to be fully feathered before going outside however. Check this forum out: https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/11/raising-baby-chicks
Greetings from Kansas, TheCrazyChick, and ! Pleased you joined our flock. I think once you have the chicks, raising them isn't the problem - even in the winter - just keep them warm as you would any other time. What is the problem is getting them to you alive (if ordered from a hatchery). If it's cold it can be rough on them. Plus, most hatcheries have a very limited supply of chicks - or none at all during the winter months. Seems like lots of them gear up again around February. Best of luck to you!
Thanks everybody! I am lucky enough to live within an hour of Meyer Hatchery, so I will be driving on Monday to pick up my chicks. Unless I get involved in additional "impulse" buying, I will arrive back home with, 1 Easter Egger, 1 Buff Orpington, 1 Barred Rock, 1 Black Australorp, and 1 White Jersey Giant. I chose these breeds based on cold hardiness. Brooder will be in the corner of the garage (had the repairman here this morning to get the furnace out there up and running), and the coop project starts this weekend. My DH and myself are turning the coop into a game, to see how much we can get for free or nearly free. Thus, I have been making the "Craigslist" rounds this week. Picked up a bunch of miscellaneous boards, molding, and finished boards this morning ($5), as well as a huge sheet of linoleum for $5. Cleaned out the garage and found TONS of stuff we can use. The Coop itself will be made of 3 (4x6) auto parts shipping crates ($50).Total dimensions of coop and run will be ~ 14x6. I will post pics of the process for future reference. (Missed out on getting the crates for free.) Thanks again everyone. This site is really helpful.
