NEWBIE!

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Glad to meet you, Randy, and welcome to BYC. You ask we we provide:

Here are my favorite beginning articles that helped me as a newbie. All articles are short, and have illustrations, and reviews, which are often worth looking at for the comments.

1. Intro to chicken keeping

2. Common mistakes & how to fix them

3. Ventilation (important to chicken health), with helpful links to coop designs & plans organized by climate (because what is just right for my New England hens won't work for my brother's Arizona chickens)

3a. Farmer's Almanac Definitive Guide to Chicken Coops (including info on how much space needed per bird, and lots more)

4. Predator protection for new & existing coops

5. Dealing with a muddy coop and run

6. (are you where winter is a thing?) Winter chicken care

To look for articles on your own (because we DO have descriptions of how members built good coops out of all sorts of found materials and using sheds, playhouses, and possibly dog houses):

A. Use the SEARCH button, but use the Advanced Search choice, and select ARTICLES at the top of the box. Just enter your keyword(s) and scroll through your results!

B. I find it helpful to notice the rating and reviews. All articles are by BYC members, and all the reviews/ratings are as well. The ratings help a newbie like me sort the most useful and reliable articles.

C. You can bookmark the articles or posts you think you want to refer to again using that bookmark icon at the top of articles or posts. You can find them again by clicking on your own avatar and looking at the list of bookmarks you have built up!

Notes about where to put a coop:

1. As far as you can, put a coop and run on high ground, that drains well, so you won't have so much muddy coop problems. Chickens need to be dry, dry, dry.

2. As far as you can, put a coop with the ventilation lined up with your prevailing breezes, and away from the direction of your storms. If you are not sure of these (who is these days?), check with your local National Weather Service website.

3. As far as you can, arrange for some sort of shade over your coop and run. Preferably deciduous so the girls will enjoy winter sun, but summer shade.
 

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