Newly interested in BYC's of my own

[mizzmia]

I am interested in establishing BYC's of my own for egg laying. I'm just not sure where to begin. ALL advice is welcome in all areas...Coops to Breed and Feeds!! Thanks!!

 

[Backyard Chicken Fight]

Hi Mizzmia!

Determine how many eggs you might use a day and get that many chickens. There is a lot of work that goes into raising chicks--so you might consider pullets. My best advice is to get different breeds. You can directly monitor your chicken's health through her egg production. So, remember different breeds will likely lay different colored eggs. Good luck!

 

[Y N dottes]

Hi welcome....yeah go for it, we're happy to answer any questions.
It can be hard to know where to start, but as long as you know what you need to do to keep chickens, it is a lot easier.

First...a coop for them to sleep. In my opinion, the coop doesnt have to be very large since the only thing they use it for is a safe place to sleep, and a place to lay eggs. More important is either a run if you cant let them free range(letting them roam your property without a fence to keep them confined). If u have the land to let them free range, i would encourage this, but if u live in town like me u will need a run attached to the coop so they wont annoy the neighbors. If u live in town and have a tall fence around your yard u could let them range around ur yard instead, though u might want a small run where they can go if u arent home.

The most fun thing in my opinion is determining what breed to get. U mentioned that u want them to lay eggs, so i will list a few that are known for their laying. Leghorns, Red sex-links, Black sex-links, Black australorps, and Rhode island reds are all on the top of the list. Also, Barred Rocks, Orpingtons, and a few others are considered good layers. U can research these breeds to find out a little more about them.

I know i probably didnt answer all you question, so feel free to ask...

 

[barnaclebob]

To get maximum enjoyment you want to build a coop that minimizes mandatory work such as cleaning waterers, feeders, and the run. Here are my recommendations:

Get an nipple waterer (or the cup version thats similar) so they cant mess up the water
Make a tube feeder that holds at least a weeks worth
Choose the right bedding material (I recommend sand in the coop and pine chips in the run for the deep litter method)
Eliminate hard to clean areas in the coop (have an entire side open for easy access)
Walk in run is nice too.
Finally, make it predator proof by using hardware cloth.

 

[barnaclebob]

double post...