Pecked by the chicken bug

[RomeoKat]

Hey, y'all!

I'm Kat, and I live in south-central Virginia. Fifty years old, married to an awesome he-can-do-EVERYTHING! guy

, with one wonderful daughter (18). We have neighbors who had chickens in the past, and somehow I've suddenly gotten bitten by the bug. Right now, we're planning out the coop and figuring out pricing on fencing.

I'm planning on 8-9 chickens, a mix of Orpington, Ameraucana, Dominique, and (Golden Laced) Wyandottes. I wanted sweet, hardy, and beautiful ladies to delight us. We're going to have a secure coop WITHOUT a 100% enclosed run, and will fence in an area about 60'x60' for them to pasture on. They'll have some trees (wild persimmons and fir) for shade and cover. I think I also want an open "roofed" area right by the coop so the girls can go out even if it's raining.

Do y'all think that will work? I think my Beloved is looking at a fence at *least* 4' tall, but probably 6'. Will we need to worry about wild predators climbing the fence during the day? I'm not worried about the coop; Beloved is an engineer, and he's happily planning layout, insulation, security, water/power lines, an automatic pop hole - he loves designing and building things (most recent being an indoor hydroponic rack on wheels for the front window...). Me, I'd be happy to buy a small pre-made shed and work from there, LOL!

Hoping to welcome little chickies February 2015 if the coop and pasture are all ready, and I'm looking forward to it, and to sharing out all the lovely eggs with family and friends (the ones WE don't eat, of course). And, who knows? Beloved is already talking about getting a flock of broilers for us to raise and process ourselves as well!

 

[crazyfeathers]

Best of luck on your new adventure. I got a hubby like that too, it's a blessing lol

 

[RomeoKat]

Thank you! I'm very excited about all of this, so I will probably be all over the forums asking questions ;-)

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC!! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Good luck with planning for your flock! Chickens are sure a joy! Feel free to ask any questions.

Also, be sure to check out our learning center, coop section and breed area. There is lots of helpful info in all those places!

Again, welcome!!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/advice-for-first-time-chicken-owners
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/getting-started-raising-chickens
https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coop_Designs
https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/category/chicken-breeds

 

[iwiw60]

Greetings from Oregon!

Sounds like you're in the planning stages. After reading your post I was wondering....do you have predators where you live? You'll have to take that into consideration when free-ranging them I think. Anyway, welcome aboard, there's a ton of information here for you to browse through!

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC! We have all been pecked by the chicken bug here at BYC. Sounds like you have a great husband and are planning a nice, mixed flock. I don't know where you are planning to get your chickens from, but be aware that with most hatcheries that sell "Ameraucanas," they are not actually true Ameraucanas, but Easter Eggers which are hybrids produced by crossing blue egg laying breeds (Araucanas or Ameraucanas) with brown egg laying breeds which produces hybrid offspring that lay eggs in different colors (but will not breed true). These hatcheries then market these Easter Eggers as Araucanas (true Araucanas are tailless) or Ameraucanas (frequently misspelled Americana or Americauna). It's not a problem unless you are wanting to breed actual Ameraucanas. Many chicken owners actually prefer the Easter Eggers as they will typically outlay the true Araucanas or Ameraucanas, and because they lay eggs in a number of different colors. I keep some Easter Eggers in my flock because my granddaughter loves the colored eggs. If you want to know more, there is a good article explaining the differences between Araucanas, Ameraucanas, and Easter Eggers at http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/09/ameraucana-easter-egger-or-araucana.html Iwiw60 has asked a good question about predators in your area. Many new chicken owners have lost their flocks because the were ill informed and unprepared for predators. You might want to check out the Keeping Your Flock Safe From Predator threads at https://www.backyardchickens.com/newsearch?search=protecting+your+chicken+flock+from+predators If you have any questions, feel free to ask and we'll be happy to help however we can. Good luck with your flock.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Don't forget about the predators from the skies. When ever you free range, you have to be willing to lose a few along the way. But it sounds like you are on your way in this new adventure! Definitely stop by our learning center for lots of good tips and hints on raising your new birds. Mountain Peeps has left you with the link.

Great to have you aboard and welcome to our flock!

 

[RomeoKat]

Thank you for all the generous welcomes and replies!

I know we have foxes, possums, raccoons, hawks, bears, skunks, and so on around here. I'm planning to make sure the girls are in their coop each night, and allowing them the fenced pasture during the day. They will have the coop, a generous copse of persimmon trees, and a cedar tree - and hopefully a simple roofed area - available to get shelter from daytime predators in the sky.

Beloved is planning to bury about 1 foot of fence to prevent digging (while having at least 4' above ground) to enclose the pasture. I know I'll probably lose some birds, but I think their paddock will provide a pretty good balance between freedom and safety.

Michael Oshay, that's interesting about the easter eggers vs Ameraucanas (I've got your link up in another tab as I type). I was planning on buying from a hatchery like Meyer; they seem pretty reputable from what I've seen so far. As you said, since I'm not planning to breed it shouldn't be an issue; I mainly want hardy, good-natured, dual-purpose hens who will lay eggs and - MAYBE MAYBE MAYBE (but probably not) - be a good stewing chicken *smiles*

I'm hoping to socialize them well because we have a few areas that I can send them for a "vacation" - the fenced area around the pool has a few ticks and so on that I know the girls would love! If they'll follow me over to the pool area - I won't have to panic about them falling in the pool, will I??? - there's still a fence and shelter from the skies. Then I can lead them back to their coop in the evening. Does anyone have experience with "herding" chickens like this?

I'm slowly working my way through all the info in the learning center; LOTS of excellent stuff there!

Thanks again for the warm and kind welcome; I know I'm going to have a lot of fun here, learn a lot, and - God willing! - get to a place where I can pass along the learning and the kindness you all have shown!

 

[Denwendairy]

Don't tell the rest of the ladies in my coop but the Golden Laced Wyandottes are quickly becoming my favorite! You'll get every opinion under the sun on that one!! I wish you all the best in your new venture!
Welcome!

 

[sourland]

Hi, Kat, welcome to BYC. Yes, predators can scale almost any fence, and aerial predators can also be a problem. Hardware cloth fencing and a covered run are a good idea.